


Heartstone: Pink and Blue

by Kittycatkyla23



Series: Heartstone [3]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Anal Sex, Angst, Body mutilation, Consensual Sex, Gentle Sex, Harpies, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Male Pregnancy, Normalized Rape, Original Monster Designs, Rape Culture, Steampunk elements, Unplanned Pregnancy, Yaoi, original concepts, star-crossed lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23615728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittycatkyla23/pseuds/Kittycatkyla23
Summary: Tsugaru never had an easy life. Before Hachimenroppi's arrival, before Tsukishima's decision on marriage, Tsugaru had to go through many hardships, so that his siblings may live comfortably. He had to sacrifice so much and none of which he had regretted losing if it meant his brothers would be happy and safe.Except for one thing: His first and only love.
Relationships: Psyche/Tsugaru (Durarara!!)
Series: Heartstone [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1581079
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9
Collections: Hunter Series Concept Writes, No Happy Endings





	1. Chapter 1

“Are you guys sure it’s alright for me to be outside like this?” Roppi asked.

Tsugaru and Tsuki looked back at the black-and-red feathered, scantly dressed Heartstone.

“Shiki-san said it was alright.” Tsugaru stated. “So long as you do not leave our side, he sees no problem with you going with us.”

“We’re getting a lot of stares.”

Roppi wasn’t lying. _Everyone_ was staring at them. News of Tsuki’s union with a Heartstone, and potential impregnation, spread across the town quick enough. One week in, everyone knew of Hachimenroppi.

And one week in, they needed groceries. So, that is currently what the trio was doing. It was best to have Roppi come with, so they could get food that he would eat. He wasn’t a picky eater so far, but he also didn’t know half of what he was eating most of the time.

“If-if you want to go-go back to the house,” Tsuki started, “W-we can.”

“I’m not worried about me, stupid.” Roppi cocked a brow. “I’m worried about you.”

“I-I’ll be fine.”

“Judgment’s a harsh thing.”

“Roppi-san, I’m fine.” The blond took the Heartstone’s hand. “I’m not worried about their stares. I’m worried about you.”

Roppi glowered as his cheeks flushed. “Stupid. We’re talking in circles.”

Tsuki smiled, chuckling. “Sin-since we are, then let’s agr-agree that we’re both fine a-and go get s-some groceries.”

“…Fine.”

Roppi lifted Tsuki’s arm up and tucked himself underneath it. Tsuki stared at him for a moment before smiling. He held Roppi’s shoulder and the two walked hip-to-hip.

Tsugaru felt a stir of jealousy in his chest. He decided not to show that emotion on his face. Instead, he led the way to the grocery store.

Soon enough, they were standing in front of a small building. Outside on either side of the entrance were stands with hats and scarves. The items were on clearance since winter was over. Tsugaru didn’t bother to look at them as he entered the store, the two lovebirds following behind him.

The clerk, a man with red hair, perked as soon as he saw the three walk in.

“So, it’s true!” The man called. “Tsuki really kept a Heartstone!”

Roppi immediately glared, his lip pulling back in a snarl as a growl—sounding no different than a demonic hag’s gurgle—echoed in his throat. The man jolted.

“Um, um, Miyoshi-san,” Tsuki said quickly. “I-I-I’m not keeping R-Roppi-san. We-we’re living together.”

“…Oh, yeah, I heard some different things. That you let the Heartstone go to fail your Masculine-Cue on purpose. I heard that the Heartstone is pregnant, that they are all males that can get pregnant. Is that all really true?”

“I wouldn’t be staying with Tsuki if that wasn’t the case.” Roppi growled.

“A lot of people are saying you’re lying and Tsuki’s just super gullible.”

“I don’t get why. Who would lie about a pregnancy?”

“Oh, plenty of people! Women do it all the time to keep a guy from leaving them.”

Roppi stared. Then he looked up at Tsuki. “So far, I’m not hearing anything good about these ‘women’ you have.”

“We-well, that’s only some women.” Tsuki stated. “N-not all of th-them are like that.”

“Why would they do that at all?”

“Well, it-it’s…complicated. They-they have their own reasons.”

“There is no reason to lie about the birth of a child. I mean, what do they do, when they lay an infertile egg in a few days?”

“You-you lay eggs?”

“Course we do. Don’t your ‘chickens’ lay eggs?”

“…Well, yeah.”

“We lay infertile eggs every three days. When we’re pregnant, we lay a fertile egg in a month.”

“What’s the difference?” Miyoshi asked.

Roppi looked at him. “Infertile are small, about the size of my fist. A fertile egg is about the size of my head.”

“Waah! You have to push something that big out of your ass?!”

“Miyoshi-san!” Tsugaru called. “That is extremely inappropriate!”

The store clerk jolted. “Ah, sorry!”

Tsugaru let out a heavy sigh. He then turned to Tsuki. “Let’s get what we came for.”

“R-Right…”

The two blondes went off. Roppi followed Tsuki closely. Tsuki and Tsugaru grabbed some plastic baskets and went their separate ways to get the things they needed. Tsugaru went over to the fridge with meat. He grabbed some ground beef, beef rounds, and steak.

‘ _ **Should I grab some chicken? Psyche had said he liked chicken, so it’s not like it’s cannibalism.’**_

Tsugaru’s eyes narrowed at the name. A pit of guilt hit his chest, so profound and torrent, it made his throat dry. The blond quickly shook his head.

‘ _ **It’s been five years. I don’t need to be upset about him anymore.’**_

Tsugaru let out a sigh.

“Ah, Roppi-san, no!” Tsuki called.

“What?” Roppi growled in indignant.

Tsugaru cocked a brow. The eldest blond went over to the isle he heard their voices coming from. It was the candy and junk food isle. Roppi was holding a small, open wrapping in his hand and was chewing something.

“Y-you can’t j-j-just take stuff off th-the shelves like th-that.” Tsuki stated.

“What do you mean? You’ve been taking stuff off the shelves this whole time.”

“Y-yes, no. What I mean, um, is you can’t open th-them until you pay for them.”

“Pay?”

“Um, you know what t-trading is, don’t you?”

“Yeah. Where you give something to get something.”

“W-well, we hu-humans make trades with this stuff c-called m-money. Um, here.”

Tsuki reached under his black haori and grabbed his money pouch. The blond opened it and pulled out some silver and gold Tsuho’s.

“We t-trade this for the stuff we wa-want to buy.” Tsuki said.

“Okay?” Roppi cocked a brow. “And what does trading have to do with you yelling at me?”

“You c-can’t just take stuff off the shelves. W-we haven’t p-paid for it yet, s-so we can’t open the i-items until we do.”

Roppi’s eyes narrowed in obvious annoyance. “Why the hell are you getting on my case for basic hygiene? Don’t fucking tell me you have to _pay_ to clean your teeth?!”

“C-clean your teeth? No, Roppi-san, th-that’s candy.”

“What the hell is candy?!”

“Hachimen-san,” Tsugaru walked over. “You need to watch your language.”

“Watch my—” Roppi turned on the older blond with an incredulous glower of confusion. “What the fuck are you on about?! Watch my language? You can’t _watch_ language!”

“No, I mean, you need to be mindful of what you say.”

Roppi raised one hand as he looked around in completely annoyed puzzlement. He was getting extremely frustrated with this conversation that he could barely understand.

“You are cursing, Hachimen-san.” Tsugaru stated.

“What the fuck is cursing?”

“That. Saying words like hell and…fuck are not appropriate to say in public.”

“Not appropriate? What the hell is inappropriate about _words_! They’re in _you’re_ language, for Christ’s sake!”

“Yes, but they are words that you shouldn’t say. A child could hear.”

“So what?!”

A crowd was starting to form on either end of the isle. They were not trying to be subtle as people were quite obviously curious about the Heartstone’s outburst.

“Words are words!” Roppi yelled. “If you don’t want people to say them then they shouldn’t be within your language to learn!”

Roppi’s feathers began to ruffle, the ones on the top of his head standing upright with his growing anger.

“Yes, Hachimen-san,” Tsugaru stated, “but there are some words that are considered vulgar. Such words are only meant to be said around other adults, not in public where a child could hear.”

“And who dictates what words are vulgar?”

“I wouldn’t know. It was considered such long before my time.”

“Just as it was considered appropriate to rape and impregnate Coravak’s to be considered an adult?”

The room became eerily silent after such a statement.

Roppi scoffed in disgust. “So far, all I’m learning about you humans is you’re all a bunch of idiotic, disgusting Neanderthals that have condescending rules and think with your dicks more than your heads. You lie about pregnancy to force someone to stay with you, for some ineptly stupid reason, or when that child comes forward as yours, you call them a liar and demand _proof_ that it happened. Maybe if you revolting humans would quit fucking lying about everything you wouldn’t have to be suspicious of every word that comes out of anyone’s mouth! There is no merit for lying, but you humans do it every fucking day like it’s a fucking mantra! What the fuck is wrong with all of you?! Why can’t you just be fucking honest?! Why are you the only species on this world that can’t tell the truth to save their fucking life?!”

“Ro-Roppi-san!” Tsukishima came around to stand in front of the raven. He put his hands up for calm. “Pl-please, calm down, Roppi-san. It-it’s okay.”

“No, it is not okay, Tsukishima!” Roppi stomped his clawed foot. “You idiot humans have been talking shit about me this entire week! Calling you gullible, calling me a liar! You know what, no doubt that piece of shit Shiki is the one who told everyone I was lying just so Shiki wouldn’t have to acknowledge that raping a Coravak birthed me! So much easier to call someone a liar than admit they’re a father to a fucking half-breed!”

“Roppi-san, shoosh, please.” Tsuki’s voice was far calmer than Tsugaru’s would have been as he grabbed Roppi’s hands and came close. “This is-is not something to discuss wi-with other people around.”

A growl rumbled in Roppi’s throat.

“Roppi-san, please? J-just take a breath for a-a moment. Inhale.”

The raven glowered. But did as advised. He closed his eyes, brows still knit in a scowl and inhaled deeply through his nose.

“Exhale.”

Roppi released the breath through his mouth. His flared feathers began to lower against his body.

“Better?”

Roppi opened his eyes. “No, not really.”

Tsuki physically deflated with disappointment.

Roppi brought his forehead down and conked skulls with Tsuki hard.

“Ow!” Tsuki backed away and held his head.

“Now, I’m better.” Roppi turned around.

Tsugaru’s eyes narrowed as a pit of hatred immediately began to form.

Tsuki’s eyes widened in surprise. “Violence is no-not the answer, Roppi-san!”

“I have anger issues.” Roppi unwrapped another block of gum. “Don’t worry, I’m not abusive.” He looked back at Tsuki. “I’m not going to kick the shit out of you because I’m angry. I just figured a headbutt was a better alternative than punching something on the shelves. If you break it, then you have to trade for it, so…”

Tsugaru glared. _**‘No, that’s not okay. I can’t let Tsuki be with anyone who remotely resembles our father’s personality.’**_

Roppi popped the gum in his mouth.

“Ah, Roppi-san!” Tsuki rushed forward. “I to-told you, you can’t just eat th-that without paying for-for it first!”

“I’m just cleaning my teeth.” The raven turned and kissed Tsuki’s forehead. “I’m sorry I hit you.”

Tsuki put a hand on his head as he blushed. “Th-thank you. Um, I-I would prefer you don-don’t do that often th-though.”

“I won’t. I’ll promise on that.” Roppi raised his hand, bending all his fingers down so only his pinky was extended. “I’m sorry I’m an asshole.”

Tsuki stared at the hand in genuine surprise. But he hooked his pinky around Roppi’s all the same. “It-it’s alright.”

‘ _ **I need to talk to Tsuki in private as soon as possible. This is not going to stand.’**_

“Alright, shows over!” Miyoshi called, ushering people away from the isle. “Continue shopping everyone! Nothing to see here!”

Tsugaru looked over his shoulder at the group behind him. They all jolted and began to disperse.

“Nosy little things humans are.” Roppi stated.

“Well, if you weren’t so loud, they wouldn’t have been prying.” Tsugaru stated.

“…Sorry.”

“Apology accepted. However, I ask that you keep such outbursts to a minimum. If people start thinking you’re a danger to them, then they may drive you out of the town. And I am sure you know well enough that you staying here will have been for not if that happens.”

Roppi’s feathers began to flare again.

“Roppi-san, he-he’s right.” Tsuki grabbed Roppi’s hand. “He’s right.”

The raven growled. He then closed his eyes, inhaled, and exhaled. The feathers lowered once again. He opened his eyes, making eye contact with Tsugaru.

“Fine.” Roppi stated.

‘ _ **I don’t like him.’**_

The raven moved his jaw and flicked his tongue around his mouth—keeping his mouth closed, however, Tsugaru could see the movement in his jaw and against his cheeks—and began chewing on the gum again.

“S-so, Roppi-san,” Tsuki started, “Li-listen, you can’t ju-just open stuff off the shelves unless you pla-plan to buy them.”

“I’m just cleaning my teeth. I said this.”

“I do-don’t—th-that’s not how you clean your t-teeth. Th-that’s candy, Roppi-san. If-if anything that rots your tee-teeth.”

Roppi cocked a brow in confusion. “How is that even possible? In my baztanéc, we use this to pull all the meat and other things out of our teeth.”

“Your clan knows how to make gum?” Tsugaru asked.

“Our tûkanû does, yes. That’s our healer. They make shina—this stuff—” Roppi raised the package of gum. “And um…I think you guys call them blackberries. They make water with blackberry leaves for us to rinse our mouths out with. We call that shina-jzotomank—shina disinfectant.”

Tsugaru nodded. “Blackberry leaves are a natural mouthwash. That is actually quite smart.”

“Well, Coravak’s aren’t stupid.” Roppi said quite smugly.

“St-still, Roppi-san,” Tsuki started, “You still hav-have to pay for it.”

Roppi cocked a brow. “You have to _pay_ for basic hygiene?”

“Um, well, yes. Un-unless you make it you-yourself, you have to p-pay the person who made it.”

“Why? Everyone is entitled to basic hygiene! Why must you pay someone to remain clean?!”

“Um…well, um…ev-everything comes at a pri-price, Roppi-san.”

Roppi raised his hands in obvious irritancy as his face soured with rage. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes tight shut. Tsugaru was certain he was going to start yelling again.

However, the raven didn’t. Instead, he inhaled deeply and exhaled heavily, tilting his head down.

“Basic cleanliness,” Roppi stated in a low voice. “Is a God given right to everyone and everything on this earth.”

Tsuki and Tsugaru’s eyes widened at the mention of God from this monster’s lips.

“It is reserved to no one to deprive others of that right all for the sake of ‘money’.”

“You-you know the bi-bible, Roppi-san?” Tsuki asked in genuine surprise.

“It is one of the many books we have to read in order to learn your human languages.” Roppi opened his eyes to look at them with a glare. “I know all about your stupid rulebook and mythology.”

“You shoul-shouldn’t call the bible mythology, Ro-Roppi-san. Th-that’s disrespectful.”

“Mythology is a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition. If you can call the gods a mythology, then it is appropriate to call your Jesus and God a mythology, as well.”

“Bu-but people still believe in-in the bible.”

“People still believe in Zeus. What’s your point?”

“Um…well, Zeu-Zeus isn’t r-real.”

“And God is?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Says who?”

“Th-the bible.”

“In the Theogony, Zeus is considered real. Why is one book true while the other isn’t?”

“Um…well, be-because there’s proof that God existed.”

“There’s proof that Zeus existed. What’s your point?”

“There is-isn’t proof that Ze-Zeus existed.”

“So, every time there’s a thunderstorm, what?”

“Um, th-that’s just the weather.”

“Who controls the weathers?”

“Um, we-well, G-God…does?”

“So, God controls the weather. God also controls the ocean tides, the currents of the wind, the hearts of man. One individual controls all.”

“Um…yes?”

“All throughout the world, every human, every animal, every tree? God controls ever millions of ants and 20 million humans?”

“Um…”

“Which means God also controls us Coravak’s, Arkdemon’s, Manta-Fuyu’s, and Worik Harmana’s and countless other monsters in the underground. God controls them all?”

“…Um…”

“Which means, as God’s children, humans shouldn’t be hunting, killing, and raping us, but treating us as fellow compatriots.”

Tsuki didn’t respond.

“You want to say God created this world, but there are other deities that say they created the world. Mother Gaia and Father Uranus, Ra the Radiant, Amaterasu the Elegant, and countless others. Why is their word less than that of your God?”

Tsuki couldn’t answer.

Roppi smiled.

“See, if you people truly believed in this ‘God’ then you would acknowledge the fact that since I’m here, then I must be a child of God just as you are. But you choose to ignore that, dub us ‘monsters’ and use such labels as a justification to do heinous acts against us. If God is the only god out there, then where did my race come from? My race, the Erook’s, the Komodo dragon Hybrids, the Battal-Inku’s, the list goes on and on. Where did we all come from? God made man, then what made us?”

“…I…”

“Do you want to say the Devil?”

Tsuki fell quiet. Roppi came close, tilting his head down to talk low in his ear.

“The Devil made all of us? Every individual species and every monstrous child? The Devil has the same power to create as God did? Yet the Devil was put in a box where he couldn’t interact with this plane? Despite being entrapped, an angel—the left hand of God—was able to do exactly what God did? The Devil was able to breathe life into millions of species just as God had? By that logic, that doesn’t sound like a war between a lesser being and a deity, does it? It sounds more like two equal deities went to war and the loser was dubbed the Devil, while the winner was made God.”

Tsuki couldn’t respond.

“Who are you to decide that God is the only one out there? Who are you to decide that someone else’s religion or beliefs are false all because they don’t match what your damn bible says? Who are you to say that a man who could turn water into wine, heal the blind and sick, is real, but a man who could throw lightning and create rain isn’t? Hm? Because Zeus didn’t perform miracles? But Zeus did, if you actually knew any of the stories. Zeus gave a child to the childless Hyrieus. Zeus aged the children of Callirrhoe so that they may avenge their ninepows murder.

“And if you want to say,” Roppi continued, “that Zeus is unfair, and punishes man for lying or being unhospitable, God has done the same. Huldra is a breed of Troll monster supposedly created by God. Adam and Eve had many children. Eve was giving them a bath and God came to visit. Eve hid those who were dirty from God, in which God asked, ‘Are there not more children?’ Eve responded, ‘No.’ In which God stated, ‘Then let all that is hidden, remain hidden.’ Those children who were hidden became ‘the ones living underground’—in essence, Trolls. Sounds almost exactly like one of Zeus’s legends, doesn’t it? Where a mortal lied to Zeus and Zeus punished them quite harshly. So, tell me, Tsuki, how is your _God_ anymore important that the gods?”

Tsuki was very, very quiet. Behind the two of them, Tsugaru was smiling. Seeing someone—a monster, no less—deface the bible made a vindictive happiness flood his chest. For Tsugaru was also an adamant nonbeliever of the bible. Of course, his reasoning was different from Roppi’s. He didn’t believe in anything, not God or the gods or any other deities that existed. Tsugaru believed in what he could see.

Tsugaru could never bring himself to believe in anything ever again. Especially not God.

Not after God was his father’s justification for being a vile, hateful man.

Just the thought made Tsugaru’s insides boil with newfound hatred, although his disdain for Roppi ebbed. He clenched his teeth and glanced to the side.

‘ _ **It was because of him that I met Psyche.’**_

Guilt peered its ugly head again.

‘ _ **Those days with Psyche were the happiest I ever was back then.’**_

“You two,” Tsugaru stated.

Roppi looked back at him while Tsuki sheepishly looked up.

‘ _ **That doesn’t matter now. Psyche and I will never meet again.’**_

“Let’s continue shopping.” Tsugaru stated. “Hachimen-san, I understand where you are coming from, however, that doesn’t change the fact we have to pay for everything offered by the store—even if it is required for basic hygiene.”

‘ _ **He was just a means to an end.’**_

“That’s stupid.” Roppi growled.

“It’s unfortunately how it is. We have no power to change that.”

‘ _ **My priority is my siblings. Nothing else.’**_

Roppi scoffed in annoyance. “Fine, fine.”

Roppi turned, with Tsuki following.

“What else do we need, Tsuki?” Roppi asked.

“Oh, um, we um, we need…” Tsuki pulled out his list as the two walked away.

Tsugaru stared after them. A pit of regret and melancholy came over him. He cast his gaze to the ground.

‘ _ **Nothing else…’**_

* * *

Seventeen-year-old Tsugaru coughed hard as he was kicked in the abdomen. The young blond fell on his side, holding his stomach while his feet kicked against the hardwood floor.

‘ _ **What’d I do wrong this time?’**_ Tsugaru wondered, staring up at his father with tear-filled eyes. _**‘I did my chores. I bought you cigarettes. Delic and Tsuki haven’t left their room. What did I do wrong?’**_

The older man kicked Tsugaru in the spine. His eyes stretched wide as his vision spun. He was forced to roll over onto his stomach, which allowed him to see two things. One; his mother watching from the kitchen. Two; Delic peeking his head out of the engawa, staring wide-eyed.

Tsugaru looked over at his mother. He stared up at her in desperation.

‘ _ **Help me, Mom! Please! Make him stop!’**_

The woman stared for a moment longer. She then turned her back on her husband and son to start making dinner. Tsugaru felt tears rise for a new reason as emotional pain clamped around his heart.

‘ _ **Why won’t you ever help me? Not once! You never do anything…’**_

Delic moving caught Tsugaru’s eye. The thirteen-year-old stood and took a step towards the living room. Tsugaru immediately jolted up. He shook his head fervently, waving at Delic to go back. His father looked at Delic then at Tsugaru.

“You hellspawns trying to help each other.” His father growled.

The older man then stomped his foot down, crushing Tsugaru’s wrist under it. The oldest boy screamed in pain.

“D-Delic-Nii, what-what’s going on?” Tsuki’s voice came down the engawa.

Delic jumped. He looked back at Tsugaru with an obvious gaze of guilt, tears dotting those pink eyes. Tsugaru smiled at his younger brother as positively as he could behind a face of pain. He nodded at Delic. The younger blond understood without question.

“Delic-Nii?” Tsuki’s voice was closer.

Delic turned around, stopping the youngest blond from peeking into the living room.

“Nothing, Tsuki!” Delic’s voice was filled with glee. “Come on, let’s go back to our room!”

“Eh, but—”

“Go on, go on!” Delic disappeared from the doorway as he ushered Tsuki along.

Tsugaru let his head rest on the ground.

‘ _ **At least they’ll be okay. They’ll be okay…’**_

Tsugaru’s beating continued. The blond didn’t know for how much longer. It felt like hours. Maybe it had only been a few more minutes. Tsugaru just didn’t know. He didn’t know anything but the intense pain that came with every kick, every punch. It was all he could care about.

Once it was finally over, his father went to the couch. He sat down and turned on the radio. Tsugaru lied on the ground, frozen. He didn’t want to move. He was scared if he did, his father would attack again.

“What’s for dinner?” His father asked. Tsugaru jolted to the sudden noise.

“Hitsumabushi*, dear.” His mother stated.

His father just let out a disgruntled grunt. Tsugaru waited. Slowly, with his hurt arm tucked to his chest, the blond pushed himself up. His dad shifted on the couch. Tsugaru jolted and froze. His dad grabbed his box of cigarettes and zippo. The zippo clicked and the cigarette sizzled. The zippo closed. He tossed the metal on the count. Tsugaru waited, his heart beating in his chest.

Nothing happened. His father didn’t move. Tsugaru pushed himself up. He sat up to sit on his rump. He looked over his shoulder at his father. The man didn’t even glance at him. Tsugaru had to escape now before he gained his dad’s attention. The blond pushed himself to his feet and ran onto the engawa. He turned right and went to the bathhouse. He couldn’t go to the water closet since his dad might want it later and beat Tsugaru again for occupying it. The bathhouse was his only option right now.

Tsugaru closed the doors, the humidity of the room making his face hot and red instantly.

‘ _ **I need to…It feels broken. My arm. I need to go to Kurashi-san’s. He’ll help me. He’s always helped me free of charge. I need to…’**_

Tsugaru looked up at ceiling. Tears of sorrow finally filled his eyes as his chest wrenched with pain.

‘ _ **Why? Why does he have to hurt me? Why does she stand there and do nothing? Its been four years of this. Why?’**_

Tsugaru started sobbing, burying his face in his knees.

‘ _ **He didn’t call us hellspawns before he found Christianity. It doesn’t say that albino’s are from hell. So why? Why did everything change? Because I didn’t want to convert? Because I didn’t understand what Christianity was? I just don’t get it!’**_

The bathhouse door opened. Tsugaru jolted and shuffled back to the corner, terrified it was his father. He soon relaxed when he saw it was Delic. The pink-eyed blond stared at him. He then glanced to the side with guilt. He walked over to Tsugaru with a sling in his hand.

“Tsuki’s outside.” Delic said, “I told him we were going to go hangout at Toudai-kun’s place.”

Tsugaru stared for a moment. Then he smiled and nodded. The eldest blond wiped the tears from his eyes and cleared his throat. Delic and Tsugaru spent five minutes getting his hurt arm into the sling. Once done, the two left the bathhouse. Tsuki was waiting outside the house, kicking his feet off the engawa. He looked up at his older brothers with his blood red eyes.

“Come on, Tsuki!” Delic beamed. “Let’s go!”

Tsuki looked back at Tsugaru. “W-what happened?”

“Tsuga-Nii fell off the engawa. He sprained his wrist, that’s all.”

“O-oh.”

“Yeah, now come on!” Delic grabbed the nine-year-old’s hands and tugged him off the engawa. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

‘ _ **Thank you, Delic.’**_ Tsugaru thought.

With little time wasted, the trio went behind the bathhouse. In the great stone wall that surrounded their property, there was a small fissure. An adult wouldn’t be able to fit, but Tsuki and Delic could without issue. Tsugaru would have to squeeze through, but he could do it. His arm may suffer for it, though.

However, they couldn’t risk going through the front door. His father would see them and possibly stop them. Today was Saturday, after all. The sabbath day. The day you weren’t supposed to work, read anything non-biblical, or do anything—not even mow the lawn. If it wasn’t an activity accounted towards God, none of them were allowed to do it. This ended up meaning that on Saturday, no one was allowed to leave the house. It wasn’t by the bible’s decree, from what Tsugaru could understand, but it was what his dad decided**. If he knew the three of them left the house, Tsugaru would be punished.

The three went through the fissure regardless. They made a beeline to the Kurashi’s house, in which, Delic knocked on the door. A young ‘boy’ in a baggy white haori with red diamonds and short black hair answered the door. He stared at them wide-eyed. Then his eyes landed on Tsugaru and furrowed in empathy.

“Hey, guys.” The boy, who’s voice was just a tad too soft to sound masculine, said. “Come on in.”

“Hey, Toudai-kun!” Delic beamed as the three walked in. “How’s Diamond-san?”

“He’s doing better. The fever broke and he can keep food down.”

“That is good to hear, Toudaimoto.” Tsugaru smiled.

Toudai smiled as he closed the door behind them. He then turned and smiled down at Tsuki. The sixteen-year-old ‘boy’ bent forward, putting his hands on his knees so he was eye level with Tsuki—which caused the haori to droop low and expose prominent cleavage of breasts on ‘his’ chest.

“Hello, Tsukishima-kun. How are you today? Are the glasses doing good for you still?”

The blond blushed as he looked everywhere but ‘his’ chest. “Um, um, um, y-y-y-yes! Th-they re-r-r-really help! Th-th-th-thank you for-for getting these for m-me!”

Toudaimoto smiled. “You’re very welcome.”

He stood upright, smiling as he held his haori closed.

“Why don’t you three wait in the living room? I’ll go get Dad.”

“Thank you.” Tsugaru said.

The four went their separate ways. Toudai went deeper inside the house while the three blondes sat down on the couch. Within a few minutes, a brunette in a white overcoat and a pair of sweatpants came out, followed by the ‘boy’. Said boy had put on a shirt under the haori, although that didn’t hide the lumps on ‘his’ chest.

Tsugaru and Delic knew not to question Diamond’s choices on how he raised his child. Ever since Toudai was born, Diamond had been raising the child as a boy. ‘He’ was very obviously a girl, but for some reason that Diamond never explained, he had Toudai dress like a boy. Toudai knew she was a girl. She was never tricked into believing she was the opposite gender. She was just raised as a boy. It was a well-known secret of the Kurashi family. Toudai wasn’t fooling anyone now that she had developed into her womanly physique but no one in town was going to call her out on it.

“Hello, boys!” Diamond said, looking down at Tsugaru with narrowed. “So, what happened today?”

“…I fell off the engawa…”

“Uh-huh. Tsuki-kun, would you go help Toudai make some tea?”

“O-okay.” The youngest said.

Tsuki and Toudai went down the hall to the kitchen.

“So, what really happened?” Diamond asked.

Tsugaru looked at the ground. “Dad stomped on my arm.”

Diamond closed his eyes and inhaled. His expression soured with rage for a moment before he exhaled heavily. He opened his eyes.

“Delic, I want you to go get Shiki-san for me.” Diamond stated.

“But—” Tsugaru tried to intervene.

“No buts. Delic, go.”

The pink-blond nodded. Without another word, Delic was to his feet and rushing out the door. Tsugaru was taken to Diamonds back room. Toudai hung out with Tsuki while Diamond loaded Tsugaru with anesthetics and set his broken arm. By the end of the hour, Tsugaru was thoroughly unconscious.

Tsugaru doesn’t know how long he was out for, but when he next woke, it was night. He could hear Diamond talking to someone outside the door. The conversation sounded heated, which enticed Tsugaru to listen in. He went to the door and cracked it open just enough to hear the voices properly.

“…ey don’t have any other family but their parents. Unfortunately, there’s no one who can take them.”

“Then I’ll adopt them!”

“By the time that is finalized, Tsugaru should have already gone through his Masculine-Cue.”

‘ _ **Shiki-san.’**_

Tsugaru opened the door enough to look through. Diamond and the mayor of the town stood in front of the door. The doctor had his back to the door while Shiki, in his white jeans and white yukata, was standing a little off to the side so Tsugaru could see him completely.

“What would be best for the boys is for Tsugaru to go through his Masculine-Cue.” Shiki stated. “Once he does, then he can get legal custody of his brothers with little effort. The council would approve of it instantly since we already know the situation.”

“If you already know the situation, then you should do something about it now, not later!”

“The boys don’t have to go back to their parents place. The watchmen won’t force them to go back, even if Tsushiro-san reports them as runaways.”

“If the watchmen know, then they should—”

“Kurashi-san, you have to understand the towns’ situation. We’re a small, rural town run by us. We don’t have a shogun to enforce anything. We don’t have a jail. The most we can do is physically punish Tsushiro. If we do that, then Tsushiro will take it out on the boys again. Or we can banish him. However, if we do that, he’ll have all legal rights to take his children with him and we wouldn’t be able to stop him.”

Diamond couldn’t respond. Shiki glanced to the side. He made eye contact with Tsugaru, who’s eyes stretched wide.

“There is something Tsugaru can do.” Shiki stated. “That house Tsushiro owns. As you know, it used to be a public bathhouse owned by him. That was how he was paying off the land, by having patrons. Since he became a newfound Christian, he has stated that any money he makes should go to God, not the town, so he hasn’t paid off the land yet. Pity too, since he only had 1,200 Tsuho’s left to pay. He would have been done two years ago if he just kept paying it.

“The only reason the council hasn’t taken the house from him is because he has children. Once Tsugaru gets his Masculine-Cue done and gets custody of the kids, the council will take the house. After that, Tsushiro will be banished from the town. Now, what Tsugaru can do once he becomes a man, he can put his name on the house. This’ll take no shortage of trickery on Tsugaru’s part, but if he tells his parents that he can’t pay the rest of the house off unless they take their name off the house—since Tsushiro and Minako are not in good standing with the council—and if he were to pay for the house with only his name on it, he would be the rightful owner of the land. He could then kick Tsushiro and Minako out, after which, the watchmen will banish them for their vile behavior.”

“I don’t think Tsugaru is that vindictive.”

“That would be the best scenario for Tsugaru. Regardless of what he does, once he becomes a man, he can get legal custody rights over his brothers. Whether he chooses to take the house from his parents or buys the house once it goes up for sale, or just commission Kadota-san to help build their own home for his siblings and him to live in—it’s completely up to him. Once he’s a man, he can do as he will.”

Shiki looked back at Tsugaru. The blond merely stared.

“Well, that’s not now.” Diamond growled. “Tsugaru won’t be doing his Masculine-Cue with a broken arm. We need an immediate solution.”

“Again, the watchmen won’t make them go back.”

“Then they’re staying here. If Tsushiro comes here for them, he’ll be trespassing and I expect the watchmen to deal with him.”

“I will let them know.”

“Good.”

Shiki nodded. With little more to say, the two adults said their good-byes and Diamond escorted Shiki out. Tsugaru tilted his head down as he quietly closed the door.

‘ _ **Thank you, Shiki-san.’**_ He rested his head against the door as he smiled—a true, genuine smile. _**‘At least I know it’s not hopeless. I can do something. I—’**_

Something heavy fell to the floor. Tsugaru’s eyes widened and he quickly opened the door.

“Dad!” Toudai called.

Tsugaru rushed down the hall to see the doctor on the floor, his hands shaking uncontrollably. Toudai was knelt by his side already while Tsugaru rushed to the doctor’s aide. Tsuki and Delic came out of one of the rooms from further down the hall. Tsugaru, his arm in a sling, knelt down on Diamond’s other side.

Toudai felt Diamond’s temperature.

“Dad, talk to me.” Toudai said in a stern and level voice. “Do you know where you’re at?”

“…At home.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“T…Toudai…moto…”

“Do you know what day it is?”

“It’s…I don’t…know…”

“Let’s get him on the couch.” Tsugaru stated.

“Don’t move him. Not yet.” Toudai stated. “Dad, are you hurt anywhere? Did you hit your head?”

“…No…No…I’m fine…My head…I couldn’t breathe and…I got lightheaded…”

Diamond tried to push himself up. His arms were shaking hard with the effort. Tsugaru quickly put his uninjured arm under Diamond’s. Toudai did the same on the other side and the two pulled him to his feet. They guided the barely standing adult to the couch. He flopped down hard, panting heavily and sweating profusely. As Toudai went about getting a bowl of cool water and a rag to wipe Diamond’s brow off, all Tsugaru could do was stare.

‘ _ **I’ve got to become a man as soon as possible. Kurashi-san and Toudaimoto have more to worry about than our family problems.’**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Unagi Hitsumabushi bowls is an assortment of rice, grilled eel fillets, sweet-and-sour sauce and whatever condiments you want, typically shredded nori, chopped onions, and wasabi paste.
> 
> **So, I know a lot of my stories have to do with shitty Christians. I have no excuse. I don’t like the Christian community because most of the people I meet within the community are shit people who uses God as a weapon to justify their actions. That’s not what God’s about, but since they’re ‘good Christians’ they can say “Kill the gays” all they want. If you notice, I try to make a very obvious point of do’s and don’ts on what you should do with the name of God and I’ll touch more on that in The Wolfman’s Blood Contract. People nowadays do not respect religion as what it is. Instead, they use it as a shield to hide behind as they be vile shit stains on the world and those that do that can fuck off.


	2. Chapter 2

The very next day, Tsugaru went back to his family home. He knew his father was at work—a woodcutter who worked under the town carpenter, Kadota. Tsugaru had been watching the house until his mother left to go get groceries. Knowing both were gone, the eldest blond snuck in through the hole they had runaway through. He immediately went to his parent’s room.

Tsugaru knew what he was looking for. He knew exactly where his parents kept their money ‘reserved for God’. Tsugaru reached under the bed and pulled out a lock box. He put in the three-digit code. The lock clicked and Tsugaru opened it. Inside was a disgusting amount of silver and gold Tsuho’s. Four years-worth. The only thing they had spent money on were groceries, since their electricity was sustained by the hot spring and a furnace in the basement.

‘ _ **What’s even the point of this money ‘reserved for God’? There isn’t a church in town, so what’s the point of saving all this money for something that can’t take it?’**_

Tsugaru could only glare in distaste.

He then pulled his coin pouch out from under his blue haori. He counted out 1,200’s worth of gold, then 600’s worth of silver. The pouch was impeccably heavy. Tsugaru had no intention of putting any back. He closed the lockbox, shoved it back under the bed, and went to his bedroom. He grabbed a duffle and put some of his clothes in. He then when to Tsuki and Delic’s rooms and grab some of their clothes before rushing back out of the house.

‘ _ **Dad will think Mom got overzealous with the grocery money—and that’s if he checks it today.’**_

The blond went through the gap in the wall and was back to the Kurashi’s house in ten minutes. From there, he separated the money into two pouches—the gold in one and the silver in another. He hid the pouch of gold in Toudai’s room, under the floorboard where the girl kept her diary. Tsugaru knew this spot because she had shown it to him a few years back. He then took the pouch of silver back to the spare bedroom the Kurashi’s had been kind enough to lend the boys. He grabbed another pouch, separated the silver’s so the pouches had 300 each. He hid one under his pillow and the other in the wall, behind a loose plank of wood.

After that, Tsugaru took some pain killers, and left once again. This time, he went to Shiki.

“Hello, Tsugaru.” The mayor said.

“Hello.” Tsugaru bowed curtly. “I’m ready to do my Masculine-Cue.”

Shiki cocked a brow. He looked down at the teens slung arm. “…I understand your family situation. You should do your Masculine-Cue sooner rather than later. However, a broken arm is going to make hunting Heartstone’s extremely hard by yourself. Only a parent or legal guardian can aide your hunt, and I myself will not be able to help until the last month before your eighteenth year.”

“I know.”

“Kurashi-san said he will look after you three until your Masculine-Cue. That gives you enough time to let your arm heal, at least.”

Tsugaru shook his head. “I know this. But I can’t wait. Kurashi-san is sick, we all know this. Toudaimoto’s only concern should be her father and Kurashi-san his health, not us Kaikyo’s.”

Shiki said nothing, just scrutinized the young blond.

Tsugaru smiled as confidently as he could. “Who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky and catch a stupid Heartstone. In the end, it’s all the same, right? So long as I get the Brand.”

“…That is true.” Shiki stared for a moment longer before letting out a sigh. “Alright. Understand that if you don’t catch one, that doesn’t mean you failed. You have plenty of time and opportunities to get a Heartstone so long as you are physically able to.”

Tsugaru nodded. “I understand.”

Shiki spent 20 minutes giving Tsugaru the rundown of basic Heartstone knowledge, how to use the weapons Shiki will be providing, and what Tsugaru needs to do after he’s gotten his brand. Soon enough, Tsugaru was on his way out the door.

“One more thing, Shiki-san,” the teen said.

He looked back at the mayor with a confident smile and nervousness in his eyes.

“While I’m gone, make sure that my dad doesn’t try to harass the Kurashi’s. Delic already knows to keep Tsuki indoors while I’m gone so if Dad comes for us, it’ll be at Kurashi-san’s house.”

“I have watchmen monitoring the Kurashi house. They’ll stop Tsushiro from approaching long before he even makes it to the front door.”

Tsugaru nodded. “Thank you.”

And with that, Tsugaru went up the mountain.

He decided not to go up to Heartstone Peak. With a broken arm, he wouldn’t be able to make it there before his painkillers wore off. It didn’t occur to him till later that he could have taken his painkillers with him, but a part of him felt it was inappropriate to leave the Kurashi house with narcotics. So, Tsugaru intended to either pass or fail his Masculine-Cue before he needed more painkillers.

That was not an intelligent decision. Because of his broken arm, he wouldn’t be able to fire a net gun as his intended prey. And so, he decided to plant a lift trap baited with meat. Such a trap required patience and was entirely hit or miss. Tsugaru hid downwind a good twenty feet away from the trap and waited. By dusk, his painkillers wore off and he had to go back down with no luck to his trap.

Tsugaru decided to leave the trap up. Who knew, maybe it’ll catch something in the dark. It was wire mesh so it wasn’t like whatever he caught could claw its way out.

He made it back to the town well after dark. Upon his return, he got a lecture from Toudai and Diamond. The first part was for leaving without telling anyone. The second part was leaving to do his Masculine-Cue with a broken arm. The third part was leaving without any painkillers. Tsugaru apologized with little care for the lecture. He took his pills, ate dinner, and they all went to bed.

Tsugaru left early the next morning. He brought the painkiller this time, just in case, and went back to his trap.

He was more than surprised to see his trap had been sprung. It wasn’t on the ground anymore. He was mostly expecting a deer to have stumbled across it or a bear that had been attracted to the meat.

However, he was even more surprised to see a bundle of black, pink, and white feathers, and white podotheca with pink undersides of a four-toed bird’s foot on very big legs.

‘ _ **I actually caught a Heartstone?’**_

Tsugaru just stared. The Heartstone sniffed then perked. It rolled over and looked around for a moment until it spotted Tsugaru. It looked down at him.

“Oh, hi!” The Heartstone called. “Can you help me out? I’m stuck!”

‘… _ **Wait, does he not understand he’s in a trap?’**_

“I can’t cut my way out. Pretty please, help me down?”

“…Yeah, sure.”

Tsugaru walked over to the pick in the ground that was keeping the trap suspended. He kicked it out of place. The trap came crashing to the ground. The bundle of feathers slammed against the dirt with a meaty thud and a call of pain.

“OW!” The Heartstone called. He then glared up at Tsugaru. “Gently.”

“My apologies. But I couldn’t do it gently.” Tsugaru raised his broken arm. “I wouldn’t be able to support your weight with one arm.”

“…Oh. Well, you could have told me so I could land on my feet.”

“My apologies.”

The Heartstone tried to stand, however the trap was still enveloping him. Standing on the wires only tugged the wires around his head. He was forced back down on his knees.

“Owie…” He looked up at Tsugaru. “Do you know how to get this off?”

Tsugaru stared for a moment. _**‘I could just force him while he’s bound. I can probably do what I need to do through the wiring. Ah, but I don’t want to hurt him. There’s no way I can do what I need to if he’s screaming, crying and scared. I don’t know how anyone can enjoy this rape-like sex, even if they are beasts.’**_

“Mister?”

‘ _ **But I need to pass my Masculine-Cue as soon as possible. I shouldn’t worry about this thing. Tsuki and Delic come first.’**_

“Um…sir?” The Heartstone looked up at him.

Tsugaru made eye contact with the beast. Pink iris's stared up at him with confusion and a hint of fear. His brows furrowed.

‘ _ **He has pink eyes like Delic.’**_

The Heartstone stared up at him with those round pink orbs. With just that simple comparison, the blond couldn’t help but feel guilty at wanting to hurt this creature. He closed his eye tight shut in irritation and let out a heavy sigh.

“Dammit.”

“Eh?” The raven tilted his head.

Tsugaru walked over and pulled out a key. When this trap was sprung, the open-ends would attach to each other by magnets and lock. The only way to undo the lock was with a demagnetizing key. Tsugaru put that key in. The device buzzed then went limp, sliding off the Heartstone’s body. Tsugaru pulled the trap open.

“There you go.” Tsugaru smiled, softly. “Be careful next time, okay?”

“…Thank you. Um…” The Heartstone smiled, nervously. “For a moment there, I thought you were going to do something.”

Tsugaru kept that gentle smile in place. “Of course not. I was just debating if it was a good idea.”

Tsugaru stood.

“After all, what if you had attacked me once I let you out? Most animals would.”

“O-oh!” The Heartstone’s eyes widened. “Okay! I understand then! But don’t worry, I would never do that! I don’t like violence!”

Tsugaru’s smile turned far more genuine. “That is something we have in common.”

The two shared a nervous chuckle. Now that the wires weren’t in the way, Tsugaru could see the birdman in his proper glory. The boy looked to be only a little bit younger than Tsugaru, maybe 16 at the oldest. He wore a skintight white jumpsuit made of jean with no back, no shoulders, a strap collar around the neck like a halter top, very short shorts, and a zipper along the right side. The jumper matched his white podotheca near perfectly, to the point that it looked like he was wearing white pants and white shoes with pink soles if someone saw him from afar. The downy feathers were a kaleidoscope of black, white, and pink. The tail feathers and flight feathers had hollow shafts and afterfeathers that were black; the vanes were pink, and the tips were white. Even the semi-plumes and contour feathers were pink with white tips.

‘ _ **He really stands out with such white legs. And the bright pink, he could be spotted easily.’**_

“Um,” the raven started, “Thank you for helping me. My name is Psyche, named after the lover of the Greek God, Eros.”

‘ _ **He’s a little naïve, isn’t he? Very open, even though I’m the one who set the trap. He hasn’t even asked why I happen to so be here.’**_

“…I’m Kaikyo Tsugaru. I wasn’t really named after anything special. My parents just like the character for ‘moon’. My brothers are Tsukishima and Tsunemi—although we call him Delic—so…”

“Delic? That’s an interesting name.”

“Yeah. He likes florescent pink and white so he started calling himself after the word ‘psychedelic’.”

“Oh! He matches my colors then!” The Heartstone beamed happily. “We would probably get along then!”

Tsugaru chuckled. _**‘Maybe I can use him. He’s so innocent, I can probably get my Masculine-Cue done without having to rape him.’**_

That idea was vile and evil without question. To trick someone, to use someone all for sex was something Tsugaru would never do to another human being. But this thing was just a means to an end. Besides, it wasn't like this creature actually cared about who it had sex with. Animals never do. So, befriending this beast all to take it's brand was the best option for Tsugaru.

“Hey, I'm just curious.” The blond said. “Do you have one of those heart birthmarks?”

Psyche beamed. “Yeah, it's on my hip! Mines a heart-bunny!”

_**'Good, so he has one I can take.'** _

“Well, Psyche,” Tsugaru started, “if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to get to know you. I’ve never talked to a Heartstone before, but I think you and I could be good friends.”

The raven smiled. “I’ve never spoken to a human before either! I’d love to be your friend!”


	3. Chapter 3

The two started to meet regularly.

Their first meeting was very sweet. They agreed to meet in the afternoon the next day, in which they just spend the day talking. Psyche was very interested in humans. He had been told never to talk to them and if he ever saw one, he had to fly away as fast as he could. They never told him why and he had always been so curious!

“I mean, if humans are really that bad then why do we still live on this mountain range?” Psyche complained. “They were always saying that humans are dangerous and the town below is to be avoided at all costs! But humans come up the mountains all the time to hunt the same game we’re hunting! Like, there’s no boundaries that we try to create between our species, so why do we have to avoid each other?!”

“…That is a valid point. If your species finds mine so dangerous, why don’t you guys move mountain ranges? Birds migrate during the winter, don’t they?”

“Ah, yeah, birds do, but we don’t. We hibernate.”

“Oh.”

Psyche nodded happily. “By the way, Tsugaru, what happened to your arm?”

The blond smiled nervously. “That’s quite a change in subject.”

“Well, you were taking those pills earlier saying they help with the pain. If it’s so painful then shouldn’t you stay home and rest?”

“Staying home won’t help me. Besides, I’d much rather meet my new friend.” Tsugaru smiled kindly.

Psyche smiled as well. “I’m happy! Really!”

“That's good. What do you like to eat, Psyche?”

“Oh, I like berries! Especially dewberries!”

“Really? Me too!”

“What, really?!”

Tsugaru nodded. That was a lie but Psyche didn’t need to know that.

“I’ll bring some dewberries tomorrow then!” Psyche smiled.

Tsugaru smiled too. And like that the naïve raven forgot about his question. The two continued the afternoon as such, with Tsugaru agreeing and being friendly with everything Psyche had to say, only imputing information when prompted.

‘ _ **This will be easier than I thought. Just give this a few more days and surely, I’ll be able to convince him to sleep with me.’**_

The day after, the two met again. Psyche brought dewberries as promised and they shared them until they were gone. They talked about more random things that had little interest to Tsugaru, but made Psyche talk a lot. The blond didn’t mind that. Psyche was already warming up to him so naturally with every conversation. It took little effort on his part to get this Heartstone to trust him. Tsugaru was confident he could reach his goal.

Day three, Tsugaru brought a book for Psyche to read. The Heartstone said he liked to read, and they ended up talking about books. He wanted Tsugaru to bring his favorite, so he brought a random book he had read from Toudai’s room. The blond was able to lie his way through why he liked it and why it was so interesting.

“It is quite good.” Tsugaru said.

“Can I borrow it to read it?!” Psyche asked.

“Ah…sorry, I can’t let you. That book is actually my friends. She’d be very upset if it was never returned to her.”

Psyche visibly deflated.

“How about this? I’ll bring it everyday until you finish it.”

“Really?!” Psyche beamed.

“But of course.”

The little raven smiled happily. “Thank you, Tsugaru!”

Tsugaru smiled, feeling genuine happiness begin to form in his chest.

‘ _ **This is actually really nice.’**_ The blond thought. _**‘All the stress of the day fades away when I’m out here. I don’t have to think about Dad or the house while I’m here talking to Psyche.’**_

Psyche was quickly becoming Tsugaru's escape from his terrible life back home. He liked that and a part of him wished that he could continue to have these pointless every days, just talking about stupid stuff that didn’t matter and having fun.

But that desire came with a twinge of guilt. While he was enjoying himself, Delic and Toudai were no doubt stressing over the situation back home. Worrying about Tsushiro’s inevitable arrival to demand his children back. Or even worse, to demand his money if he ever found out Tsugaru had been around the house when his money went missing. Tsugaru still had a responsibility to his brothers. So, even though this was nice, he couldn’t remain like this. He had to get what he needed from Psyche and get his life sorted soon.

Day four, Tsugaru didn’t get to meet the Heartstone. As the blond had been heading out the door, Diamond fell into a fit of vomiting and violent shaking. It wasn’t quite a seizure as he was fully conscious and able to control his bodily movements. However, nausea held him tight. Moving at all, even just rolling over to get more comfortable would induce extreme vertigo that caused him to need a bedpan. Toudai and Tsugaru spent most of the day taking care of Diamond, trying to get nutrition in his stomach.

It was extremely hard for the two teens to take care of the failing man. He could only eat terribly small portions of meals—having only one or two bites of a sandwich or a single slice of an apple—before the nausea got the better of him. Within the next hour, the shaking would cause his muscles to clench, which caused his stomach to clench and he would have no choice but to vomit it all up. Luckily, it was only food that triggered it. He hadn’t vomited any stomach acid and the nausea was manageable so long as his stomach was empty. But because of the nature of his ailments, Toudai resorted to feeding him a liquid diet of chicken broth and fruit smoothies. That still triggered the nausea, but since it wasn’t in chunks, Diamond was able to ignore it and keep it down.

Once he had enough food in his stomach, Toudai administered sleeping pills. Diamond was so exhausted by the time he was given the drugs that Tsugaru was almost certain he fell unconscious before they took effect. Regardless, Diamond finally drifted into a peaceful sleep. By that time, it was already 5 o’clock. Day was giving away to dusk.

‘ _ **Ah shit.’**_ Tsugaru glowered out the window. _**‘There’s no way I can meet up with him now. He probably already went home.’**_

He let out a sigh of defeat and decided he’d just stay home. He helped Toudai around the house. Her and Tsuki made dinner. Then the four kids dinked around the house until 10 o'clock and went to bed.

Day five, Tsugaru made it out of the house without interruption and was up to his meeting spot with Psyche by noon. The Heartstone wasn’t there, which was odd, since Psyche usually got there first. The blond sat down with his messenger bag—which had the book Psyche wanted to keep reading, some random strips of paper and a pencil in it—and waited. He kept himself occupied by writing Haiku’s.

After an hour, Tsugaru became worried.

‘ _ **Is he not going to come?’**_ Tsugaru glowered at his paper. _**‘Does he think I ditched him? That I got tired of him and didn’t want to meet anymore? Oh, I hope not.’**_

Tsugaru felt a twinge of pain in his chest from such a thought. He didn’t want that to be the end of his relationship with Psyche.

‘ _ **I need to finish my Masculine-Cue.’**_ Tsugaru told himself that was why, but the loneliness that started to fester told him otherwise.

However, he threw such a notion away. He had only know the Heartstone for four days so it wasn’t like he became attached to him or anything. His priorities were his brothers. Psyche was just a means to an end.

‘ _ **I’m not lonely. I’m not upset that he’s gone. I’m upset I didn’t get the Brand from him.’**_ Despite thinking that, Tsugaru still wasn’t convince with his own thoughts.

The blond glowered. Then he let out a heavy sigh of defeat.

That defeat was soon unwarranted as a strong wind buffeted him. He raised his arm to keep dust from getting in his eyes as a black, pink, and white Heartstone landed. Once the dirt settled, Tsugaru lowered his arm to look at Psyche.

“Psyche,” Tsugaru stood. “I’m so sorry about yesterday! I—A friend of mine was sick and he needed prioritized care!”

“It…it’s okay.” Psyche’s eyes said otherwise. His eyes showed he was really hurt but he smiled all the same. He then shook his head and smiled properly. “It’s okay! I understand!”

“You’re upset.”

“I’m not upset. I was just…I thought I annoyed you. That's why I was late. I thought you didn’t want to meet with me anymore. I was...scared to come here and see you weren't there...”

“No, of course not!” Tsugaru called. And strangely enough, he meant it. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, because of the book. I thought you were upset that I wanted to borrow your book. I know we don’t know each other that well, so I got ahead of myself.”

“Oh, no, no, that’s not it, Psyche, really!” Tsugaru put his hands on the little Heartstone’s shoulders. “I’m not upset about the book. I honestly forgot about you wanting to borrow it. I don’t care about that at all.”

Psyche nodded. “I’m always messing things up back home. Everyone calls me annoying, childish, and bratty. I try not to overstep my bounds, but I get so excited sometimes that I act before thinking. I—”

“That’s what I like about you!” Tsugaru smiled honestly. “I like that giddy personality of yours. Your carefree and happy nature. It’s refreshing. It makes me happy just being around you. I don’t want you to change for the world.”

Psyche’s eyes widened with genuine surprise. “Really?”

“Really, really.”

Psyche’s eyes misted over with tears. But he smiled happily. “Th-thank you. That’s the first time anyone’s ever said that to me.”

Tsugaru tugged the Heartstone into a hug. “It’s a pity. Because you really have made my day. Every time we meet up, our simple little conversations; they really mean a lot to me. I’m going through so much right now, and you’ve really helped me relax and enjoy life.”

Tsugaru rested his head on top of Psyche’s as his expression became serene.

“This is the first time in four years I’ve actually been happy to see a new day over the horizon.”

Psyche was quiet. For a long time, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Tsugaru to return the hug.

The two spent the rest of the day glued to each others hip. Psyche was practically sitting in Tsugaru’s lap as he read his book. The blond didn’t mind. It was nice, being able to hold someone. His only rise for complaint was the feathers poking through his clothes and tickling him, but it was only every once in a while, so he didn’t bring it up. The two read the book together, only flipping the page when they had both finished reading it.

They sat like that for hours until the natural light of the sun began to fade to dusk.

“We should head home.” Tsugaru stated.

“…Yeah.” Psyche looked disappointed. “What time are you going to be here tomorrow?”

“I’ll try to be here at the usual time, but if something happens at home…”

“…Right, of course. I understand.”

“Here.”

Tsugaru reached into his bag and pulled out a blank parchment. He rolled the pencil into it until it was in a tight scroll.

“If we ever miss each other, we’ll right on this. I don’t want you waiting until night for me to come if I happen to not show again. If say, I don’t show up after oh…two hours, just write that you stopped by and I missed you. And when I next see it, even if we happen to meet that day, I’ll write a message back about why I didn’t show.”

Psyche smiled. “That sounds great! Okay!”


	4. Chapter 4

The next twelve days were absolute bliss for the two teens. Tsugaru had only missed two days due to Diamonds illness, in which they used the parchment to communicate. They had put it in the hollow of the very tree that Psyche had been suspended from, so that it wouldn't get waterlogged or eaten by squirrels. They'd spend their entire afternoons with each other, talking and sharing with each other. Tsugaru started bringing food with him since his visits were lasting much longer. He'd bring melon pan, dango, daifuku, and taiyaki* with him, so they wouldn't go hungry until they departed. Psyche liked sweet things over savory, but he had only had natural sweets. Man-made sweets were new to him, so Tsugaru thought the Heartstone would love them—which he did!

Tsugaru would admit that this little Heartstone had set his heart aflutter. Nothing that Tsugaru couldn't handle, just a simple crush, but it made Tsugaru's end goal of using this teen quite a bit harder. He knew that once he got the Brand, their meet-ups would all be over. He would have to act quickly to get Shiki's plan set in motion and would no doubt be very busy with official council meetings and custody battles, even if the council was on Tsugaru's side. So, without question, once Tsugaru got what he needed, he would most-likely never see Psyche again.

Tsugaru didn't want that. He wanted to keep seeing Psyche. He wanted to keep talking with him. This giddy, happy teen who didn't seem to know the evils of the world was so refreshing and made Tsugaru feel peace for the first time in four years. He loved it. He missed it. No stress, no fear, no violence. Just pointless conversations and cuddles.

Lots of cuddles. Psyche loved sitting on Tsugaru's lap and hugging him. Not a day went back in the last ten where Psyche wasn't touching Tsugaru in some way, even if it was just leaning against his arm. Tsugaru missed that gentle affection and was loathed to admit he craved it.

Everything was great. For ten days, everything was perfect. In that small clearing, Tsugaru was free from the world and all his responsibilities. He was just so happy.

But eventually, reality would have to bring Tsugaru back to the world he was ignoring. It came in the form of his father, banging on the Kurashi door at half-past dawn. It woke everyone. Tsugaru and Toudai were the first out of the bedroom. They walked down the hall as Delic opened his bedroom door, Tsuki standing behind him.

“You two stay here, okay?” Tsugaru said.

Delic nodded. He then turned and smiled down at Tsukishima. “Come on, let's go back to bed.”

“O-Okay.” The littlest blond nodded.

Delic closed the door and two oldest went to the front door.

Diamond was already at the door, yelling out the entrance.

“—In the morning?! Get the hell away from my house!”

“I'll leave once I have my kids back, you kidnapper!”

Tsugaru knew who that was without question. Just hearing that screaming voice sent a chill of fear down Tsugaru's spine. The blond reflexively took a step back. Toudai wrapped her arms around the blond's arm to provide comfort. He appreciated that.

“You'll get your kids back when they stop coming to me with broken arms!” Diamond yelled.

“I don't know what you're talking about!”

“Tsugaru's arm is broken!”

“Well, I didn't do it! He probably just fell!”

“Yeah, like the time before when he had fist-size bruises across his face! Or whiplashes on his back from a belt!”

“How would I know what he does in his private times?! Maybe you should talk to that little freak of a daughter of yours! She's always been feeling up on Tsugaru whenever the two are together! I wouldn't be surprised if she was a—”

“GET AWAY FROM MY HOUSE!”

Diamond slammed his hands forward, giving Tsushiro an obvious shove. The two stepped out of the house, into view of the kitchen window, which Tsugaru and Toudai could see through from the hall.

“You do not get to come to my house this early in the morning and speak ill about my child!” Diamond yelled.

“She's not a child! She's a girl, a young woman! If you weren't such a demented sinner and let her grow up as a girl then maybe she wouldn't be so warped!”

“GET OFF MY PROPERTY!”

“NOT WITHOUT MY KIDS!”

“HEY!” A third voice came into the fray. Tsugaru recognized it as one of the watcher's. “Tsushiro, what are you doing here?! You're not allowed to be near the Kurashi house!”

“Says who?!”

“Says the council! Get the hell out of here before things have to get dicey!”

“This bastard kidnapped my kids!”

“You're the only one who thinks that! Your kids are happier here!”

“Diamond and his devilish daughter have tainted by boy's minds! You can't let this succubus—”

“STOP TALKING ABOUT MY CHILD LIKE THAT!” Diamond screamed, his fist raising in a punch.

“Diamond, don't!” The watcher grabbed the doctor from behind. He pulled Diamond away from Tsushiro as gently as he could then stood between them. He then turned back to the trespasser. “Tsushiro, get out of here! NOW, before the council comes down on your head!”

“I don't answer to the council! I only answer to God!”

“If you don't get out of here, then you can answer to God face-to-face! I'll give you a one way ticket!”

“Murderer!”

“Tsushiro!” Shiki's voice entered the conversation. “You are waking up the entire town! Either get out of here or I will set the entire watcher corp to escort you back to your house and make sure you stay there.”

“That violates my human rights! You are not one with God!”

“No, I'm not, nor do I care for your God. Now go by your own free will or get dragged away screaming. Your choice.”

Tsushiro fell quiet for a moment. Then he said, “This isn't over. I'm coming back for my kids!”

“Not if I can help it!” Diamond growled.

Tsushiro huffed, then turned around and stomped off.

Tsugaru let out a breath of relief. He hadn't realized he had been holding it until that moment. His legs were shaking and his chest was tight. Toudai hugged Tsugaru's arm against her torso. Diamond came back inside, closing the door harshly behind him. He was also panting heavily, but more so out of rage and probably physical exertion.

“D-D-Diamond,” Tsugaru stuttered. He then cleared his throat and shook his head softly. “Diamond-san, are you okay?”

Toudai and Tsugaru walked over.

“You shouldn't overexert yourself, Dad.” The cross-dressing girl said.

“I'm...fine.” Diamond said through heavy breathing.

“You're not fine.” Tsugaru separated himself from Toudai.

“R-really, I'm...”

Diamond couldn't finish his sentence as he began to wobble. Tsugaru quickly pressed himself against Diamond's side while Toudai rushed over. The two teens held Diamond's arms. They guided him to the couch, where he practically fell to the cushions. He rested his elbows on his knees then his head in his hands. He inhaled deeply to try and even his breathing. Toudai went to the kitchen to grab a cup of water.

Tsugaru felt guilt encase his entire being. He hugged himself as he looked to the side.

_**'Psyche...'** _

Tsugaru wanted to leave. He wanted to go see the Heartstone, to get away from this stress. Acknowledging that made the guilt only stronger.

_**'I have to do my Masculine-Cue. Today, when I talk to Psyche, I've got to try and convince him.'** _

Tsugaru let out a heavy sigh.

_**'I knew this wouldn't last forever. I have to grow up already.'** _

“Are you okay?” Diamond asked.

Tsugaru looked at the doctor. Hearing such a question made him glower.

“I'm fine.” Tsugaru turned away. “Worry about yourself.”

Tsugaru didn't stay to see what expression Diamond was making. Instead, he went back to his room to get ready for the day.

Within two hours, Tsugaru was dressed and on his way out the door. He stayed long enough to help make breakfast, eat a little, but decided he didn't have time to waste. He walked out of the house and made his way across town to the woods.

However, he was stopped. Behind the last buildings of the town, right before the treeline, the back of Tsugaru's yukata was grabbed and he was pulled back hard. He heard the fabric rip a moment before he was swung around. The blond was slammed against the wall of a house. His eyes stretched wide as the wind was knocked from him while his head smacked the wood. He was in a terrible state of being unable to breathe with his head spinning, although he managed to stay on his feet.

Tsushiro stood before him, glaring down at him with enough hate to kill.

“Go get your brothers.” Tsushiro growled. “You're coming home.”

Tsugaru couldn't respond as he gasped.

Tsushiro didn't like that and swung his fist out. It connected with Tsugaru's face. The blond saw stars as his knees buckled. He fell to the ground, landing on his broken arm, which spasm with white hot pain. He called out on instinct.

“Shut up!” Tsushiro hissed as he foot swung into Tsugaru's gut.

Saliva was forced from the teen's mouth, along with any air that had been trying to reach his lungs. He coughed harshly.

“I want you and your brothers back at the house within the hour or I swear, I'll put the fear of God in you hell-spawns.”

_**'Hell-spawn, hell-spawn, hell-spawn. That's all you ever say. That's all you ever use to justify this vile behavior.'** _

“Answer me, dammit.”

_**'I hate you. I wish you would just die.'** _

“Answer me!”

“What the hall are you doing?!” A woman's voice tore through the air.

Tsushiro jolted away, looking up.

“What did you do to him?! You shook my entire house with how hard you hit him!”

“I didn't hit him.” Tsushiro said. “He tripped.”

“Yeah, likely story.”

The girl crouched down in front of Tsugaru. He could barely make out a dark dress and dark brown hair put in a bun. The blond knew her as Karisawa Erika.

“Tsugaru, are you okay?” The girl asked.

The teen didn't respond. His head was still hazy; his chest still heaving for air.

The blond doesn't remember what happened after that. When he next woke, he was lying on a couch inside of the house that Tsugaru had been slammed against. Erika and her fiance, Yumasaki Walker, were walking around the house doing their own thing. Toudai was also there, sitting with her back to Tsugaru. She was talking to Erika about why Tsugaru was here. The blond caught a little bit of their conversation, enough to figure out that was what they were talking about.

Walker was the first person to notice Tsugaru was awake.

“Hey,” the fox-eyed man said, “how's your head?”

Toudai turned around to look at Tsugaru.

“My heads fine.” Tsugaru sat up, his clothes sagging around his shoulders.

The blond immediately cringed as his stomach spasm with pain. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and lied back down. He inhaled deeply then exhaled the hurt.

“What's wrong?” Toudai scooted closer.

“Nothing.” Tsugaru clenched his teeth. “I fell down the hill.”

“What hill?”

“The Tsushiro hill.”

Toudai glowered. “Tsugaru, be serious here.”

“Mm.” Tsugaru glanced to the side. “What time is it?”

“Tsuga—”

“What time is it?”

The blond forced himself to sit up, groaning harshly. Toudai was fully glowering at him.

“It's 7 o'clock.” The raven said.

“Son of a...” Tsugaru glowered.

_**'Psyche would have left by now. There's no point for me to go.'** _

Tsugaru clenched his teeth.

_**'I can't get the brand today.'** _

“Tsugaru?” Toudai forced eye contact.

“What?” The blond glowered at her.

The cross-dresser glowered right back. “I know you're upset, but don't take it out on me.”

Tsugaru didn't respond.

“Let's go home. There's a Watcher outside ready to escort us.”

Tsugaru stared for a moment. He then let out a heavy sigh. “I apologize, Toudai. I just...”

“I know. You don't need to explain yourself.” She held a hand out to him. “Let's just go home, okay?”

Tsugaru stared at the offering, a small twinge of guilt hitting his chest. No matter how mean Tsugaru could be, Toudai was always so nice to him. He appreciated that, as much as he appreciated Psyche's happy demeanor. It was a pity he couldn't get both today.

He reached his hand out and took the offering. She helped him to his feet and the two went home.

Once home, Toudai administered sleeping pills, which knocked Tsugaru out until dark. When he woke, his stomach was killing him and he had a profound headache from dehydration. The blond took his painkillers, took another drink of water, and went back to sleep. When he next woke it was due to hunger. Since he slept through the entire day, he was famished and in need of sustenance. At 4 in the morning, the blond got up to make himself food and spent the rest of the morning reading.

At 9 o'clock, he tried to leave for his meeting with Psyche, but was stopped by both Toudai and Diamond.

“Tsushiro's been lurking around the property.” Diamond said. “I saw him this morning behind the house. I let the Watcher's know but until we know he's gone, it's not safe for any of us—especially you—to leave.”

Tsugaru wanted to argue. He had to finish his Masculine-Cue. He had to go and meet Psyche. He _wanted_ to meet Psyche! But he knew that their reasonings were sound.

For another two days, Tsushiro lurked around the house. No one really understood what his goal was in the long run. It wasn't like watching the house would suddenly make Diamond give the blond trio over. But regardless, he did.

On the third day, at 6 in the morning, Tsugaru snuck out of the house. He decided he _had_ to meet Psyche. The blond had to get his Masculine-Cue done and Tsushiro couldn't stop him. He managed to get out of the house without question. He spotted his father on the other side of the property. He was standing with his back to the neighboring house, just watching. Tsugaru glowered.

_**'Really what is the point of that? You're not going to get anything achieved!'** _

Tsugaru turned around and went behind the house. He knew what route he had to take, and it required going through the woods on the other side of town. He slipped between the houses without being spotted at all.

Or at least he thought.

In ten minutes, he was out of the town and in the woods. His shoulder was then grabbed and turned around. Tsushiro glared down at him as slammed his eldest son against a tree. Tsugaru's eyes widened.

“What, you thought I didn't see your bright hair?” Tsushiro glowered. “You stick out like a sore thumb.”

“D-Dad—”

“Get. Your brothers. And get. Your ass home. Now.”

_**'Think fast. Think fast!'** _

“Dad, wait, li-listen, I—”

“I don't want to listen anymore—”

“No, listen!” Tsugaru yelled. “I can't go back yet!”

Tsushiro's eyes narrowed in a hateful glare. “Did you just raise your voice—”

“We're gonna lose the house unless I do my Masculine-Cue!”

The adult cocked a brow, but fell completely silent.

“Sh-Shiki-san told me that you haven't paid off the house yet, and that once I do my Masculine-Cue, the council is going to take the house from you. But he said that, as a man, I can put my name on the house, have you and Mom take yours off it, and that'll give me another year to get the money together so we don't get banished!”

“Banished?”

Tsugaru nodded. “He said once they take the house, you and Mom are banished, and by proxy us kids too. I...I know you don't like...us, but Tsukishima and Delic are young, too young to have to deal with the stress of homelessness. I don't want them to deal with that.”

The man glowered again. “It's not that I don't like you. It's that God doesn't like you because you are a hell-spawn and as a man of God, I can't condone your reckless, blasphemous behavior. Regardless of what you are, you're still my son, so I won't ever disown you. But when you decide to act like a revolting child of the devil, then I will do what is necessary.”

Tsugaru couldn't help but glare. _**'What reckless, blasphemous behavior? Name one time you've hit me and I actually deserved it? You make it sound like we're your burden to bare because you're a man of God!'**_

Tsushiro glowered as he glanced to the side. He let Tsugaru go in favor of rubbing the back of his neck.

“This town is filled with a bunch of blasphemers, but that property is mine and I'm not going to let such licentious sinner take it from me.”

“Then I need to do my Masculine-Cue. If my name's the only one on the house, then they won't take it.”

Tsushiro glowered. Then he let out a heavy sigh. “Fine.”

Tsugaru relaxed with relief.

“But I want you and the boys back at the house after that. Are we understood?”

“I'll see what I can do. Diamond won't let us leave until I pass my Masculine-Cue.”

Tsushiro glared off into the trees. “Kidnapping bastard.”

“I'll try, I really will.”

The older man's glare was cast back to Tsugaru. “You better.”

Without another word, the adult turned around and went back into the town. Tsugaru didn't move, didn't even breath until Tsushiro was out of sight. Once he was gone, the teen let out a heavy exhale as his knees buckled. He sat down against the tree, hands shaking and heart pounding.

 _ **'I did it. I convinced him...'**_ Tsugaru couldn't help but chuckle. _**'It's scary how good at lying I am.'**_

He inhaled deeply to try and calm himself, resting his head against his knees.

_**'Today's the last time I have to fear him. Once I'm a man, I won't be scared of him.'** _

It took Tsugaru a good five minutes to get himself under control again. Once he was collected, the blond pushed himself to his feet and went back into town. He made it on the other side in twenty minutes and was in the treeline once again. It took him the usually hour-and-a-half trek up the mountain.

He arrived first. He knew he would, since he was hours early. He grabbed the parchment and wrote down: _'Diamond-san was sick again. He collapsed, so we had to look after him.'_ A lie, but Psyche didn't need to know the truth. He then put the paper back in the tree knot and waited.

_**'Today's the last day.'** _

Tsugaru felt his heart flooding with nervousness and dread.

_**'Today, everything ends.'** _

He didn't want to see Psyche. He hoped he wouldn't be able to see Psyche. He hoped the raven didn't show at all. He hoped the Heartstone would have some reason not to show up so Tsugaru would have a chance to have one more day with him, even if he didn't get to see him.

Tsugaru didn't get that. Inevitably, at high noon, Psyche showed up. The blond felt his heart sink to his feet at the sight of the Heartstone.

“Hello, Tsugaru!” Psyche smiled happily. “You've been gone for so long! Is everything okay?”

Tsugaru didn't want to reply. He didn't want to stimulate a conversation with Psyche. Because the next thing Tsugaru was going to say would be the end of their relationship.

“Tsugaru?” Psyche tilted his head in confusion.

The blond couldn't bring himself to speak. _**'I don't want to do this. I don't want to ruin this.'**_

Psyche knelt before Tsugaru. The human didn't want to make eye contact. However, Psyche denied him that by leaning down so they were face to face.

“Are you okay, Tsugaru?”

The blond stared at him for a long moment in silence. Then he forced a smile and nodded. “Yeah, I'm okay. Diamond-san was really sick, so I couldn't leave him for a while.”

“Oh, dear! You should take him to a...um, I think it's doctor in your language.”

Tsugaru shook his head. “He is the doctor.”

Psyche jolted. “O-oh! Oh no!”

Tsugaru chuckled. “There's nothing we can do for him besides make sure he's comfortable.”

The Heartstone slumped with defeat. “Oh. That's so sad...”

Tsugaru nodded. “It's alright. He's taking it all in stride.”

Psyche nodded as well. “I hope he can pass with peace.”

“I hope so too.”

Psyche smiled softly. He scooted close and pressed himself to Tsugaru's side. The blond smiled down at him, feeling his chest tighten with dread.

_**'I have to do this. I have to...'** _

“Hey, Psyche.” Tsugaru started.

“Yeah?”

“There's something I want to try to do. It's...something that you do with the person you like.”

Tsugaru grabbed Psyche's arm, smiling as kindly as he could.

“I think I like you, so can I try this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *In order of the snacks mentioned:
> 
> Melon pan is a sweet bun made with dough and covered in a layer of cookie dough. They aren't actually melon-flavored, but typically sugar cookies. They're called melon pan because the cross-hatch looks like a cantaloupe melon.
> 
> Dango is a dumpling made from mochiko, which is a form of mochi. It taste like slightly sugared rice, nothing too special, but it is very popular because of it's chewy and soft texture.
> 
> Daifuku is mochi stuffed with sweet fillings, typically anko—red bean paste (I know, sweet doesn't come to mind when you think of bean paste, but it's actually super sweet. It's like bean jam that has a taste all it's own. I don't know how to compare it to a fruit or chocolate. It's just good.) but they also have been known to be filled with chocolate and caramel by western cultures.
> 
> Taiyaki is a fish-shaped cake made with pancake batter and filled with either anko, custard, chocolate, cheese, or sweet potato. It was shaped after the Tai fish (red seabream), thus the name.


	5. Chapter 5

“W-wa-wait, Tsugaru!” Psyche called, hands hiding his eyes. “I-I don't like that!”

“It's okay.” The blond said.

Psyche's white jumper was off and a few feet away from them. On his hip was the 'heart-bunny' he had mentioned before. A heart-shaped birthmark with two long, rounded cylinders that looked like rabbit ears came out of each curve at the top of the heart. The naked Heartstone sat on Tsugaru's blue haori to keep the dirt off of him while Tsugaru had felt and fondled Psyche's body. He had been fine with it for the most part. He responded positively to Tsugaru's foreplay. He loved all the kisses and rubs the blond gave him.

However, now he was getting upset, as Tsugaru pushed a finger in Psyche's rump. The blond shoved the digit in to the knuckle.

“We need to prep you properly or it'll hurt.”

“I-I don't get-get this.” Psyche peeked through his fingers to stare up at Tsugaru. “This-this feels like...we shouldn't be doing this.”

“If we shouldn't be doing this, then we couldn't be doing this.” Tsugaru smiled at him.

He pulled his finger out and grabbed Psyche's hand. He moved it so he couldn't hide behind it anymore. The blond then placed a kiss on the harpy creatures cheek.

“I know it's a little scary, but I promise, it's okay.”

Psyche stared up at him with uncertainty.

“You liked everything up to this point, didn't you?”

“...Y-yeah...”

“Well, now it's time to do something that I'll enjoy.”

“You-you enjoy doing that?”

Tsugaru nodded.

Psyche's brows furrowed with confliction. He looked down at the spot where Tsugaru had been prodding him.

“I just...I don't know. I—My ninemil told me not to let anyone touch there. Especially a human. Th-that's where babies come from...”

Tsugaru opened his mouth to respond, but Psyche kept talking.

“But they also said not to talk to humans...”

Tsugaru smiled. “It'll be fine, I assure you.”

Psyche nodded, although his pink eye were still conflicted.

_**'You can't have babies from this, so it'll all be okay.'** _

Tsugaru leaned down and kissed Psyche's forehead.

_**'You're a guy, after all.'** _

His hand reached back down in between the raven's legs. Psyche flinched but didn't say anything. His finger encircled the hole, then pushed in once again.

“Hm!” Psyche's eyes closed as a blush crossed his face.

_**'He's really wet down here. I didn't know Heartstone's self-lubricated.'** _

The blond put his mouth on Psyche's neck.

“Hah!”

Tsugaru's mouth trailed down the Heartstone's chest until he found one of his perky, pink nipples. He put his mouth over it. The Heartstone jolted.

“Uh!”

His tongue flicked over the nub while his finger pressed against the innermost part of him. The Heartstone's expression softened with pleasure before his eyes closed.

“Hah! Ah!”

Tsugaru took his mouth away to kiss Psyche's cheek, then his neck, then his collar bone.

_**'There you go, Psyche. Just be calm and enjoy this.'** _

The blond touched his entrance with a second finger and pushed it in.

“Uhn!” Psyche's eyes stretched wide. He then pursed his lips. “Hm! Mngh! Mn!”

Tsugaru's mouth came over the raven's other nipple. Psyche jolted once again, but didn't say anything. The blond thrust his fingers in and out of Psyche's tight passage. The more he played with the entrance, the more liquids drizzled onto his hand. It reminded Tsugaru of a vagina: soft and wet.

…Although, Tsugaru had never slept with a woman before, but he had seen plenty of them through porn mags and the AV’s his dad left around the house.

Tsugaru decided not to think about that right now. Any notion of his father would completely ruin his mood and he didn’t want that. Right now, his priority was Psyche. Making the Heartstone feel good while also getting his brand. After all, this is the last time the two will ever see each other, so they might as well make it a good memory.

“Hah!” Psyche moaned. “Tsugaru, it-it feels good.”

Tsugaru took his mouth off the pink nub. “That’s good. I'm glad.”

Psyche pursed his lips again. The talons on his large bird feet curled. He then grabbed Tsugaru’s yukata over his thighs. The raven pulled the cloth to the side, exposing the blonde’s bare thighs and fudoshi. Tsugaru jolted to the sudden heat of the sun on his legs, but he didn’t say anything. Psyche’s bird foot came down to rub against the obvious crotch of his underwear. The podotheca caught against his fudoshi, snagging a little. However, the pressure against his erection was quite nice. The blond exhaled to the sensation.

Tsugaru pushed in a third finger.

“Hm! Mm! Tsuga…”

“Does it hurt, Psyche?”

“N-no. Not at all.”

“Does it feel good?”

“I…I’m not sure. It’s…really hot inside.”

Tsugaru nodded. The blond spread his three fingers apart as far as he could. The anus gave little resistance.

‘ _ **That’s strange. I thought it would be tight, and hard to play with. His body has gotten used to this already.’**_

Tsugaru kissed the Heartstone’s neck.

“Hm!”

‘ _ **Is it possible he’s completely relaxed? He said he was scared, but he has to be calm if he’s this loose when I’m touching him.’**_

“Psyche…”

“Wh-what? Hee!”

Tsugaru pulled his fingers out, wiping them off on his haori.

“Roll over on your stomach, okay?” The blond smiled at him.

“Sto-stomach?” Psyche hesitated.

Slowly, the raven rolled over to rest on his hands and knees. He then lowered himself until he was completely against the ground, lying over the haori to keep the dirt off him. He rested his arms by his sides with his hands by his head. Covering his shoulders and reaching all the way down his spine was lovely feathers of black, pink, and white. His long tail feathers cascaded over his rump.

‘ _ **Funny, he looks more naked from the front.’**_

“Like this?” Psyche looked over his shoulder at him.

“Lift your tail feathers.” Tsugaru smiled.

Psyche blushed, eyes widening. He then cast his gaze to the dirt. The raven closed his eyes tight shut as his tail lifted like a veil, the feathers along his spine and the back of his head flaring. No doubt he had to use the same muscles that lift the feathers along his spine to lift his tail. Slowly, that plump, pale rump was exposed. Tsugaru felt his mouth go dry from the sight. His heart thumped against his chest and his cock twitched in his fudoshi.

Tsugaru’s hand reached out and grabbed the left soft ass cheek.

“Hyah!” Psyche jolted and quickly looked over his shoulder. “Tsu-Tsu-Tsugaru!”

“Don’t be scared. It’s okay.”

“I…I’m not…scared. Er, well, no, I’m just…” Psyche faltered with his words.

“It’s okay.” _**'God, he's really cute.'**_

Tsugaru climbed over Psyche’s legs until his clothe-covered hard member pressed against the raven’s rump.

“Don’t be scared, Psyche. We’ll both feel good from this.”

“…You sure?”

“Yes. I won’t lie to you, it’s going to hurt a bit.”

Tsugaru grabbed Psyche’s tail feathers by the base and moved them to the side. It was a little awkward, since the feathers couldn’t be bent. Tsugaru was worried about breaking them, however, he assumed they could be moved from side to side since he knew birds could wag their tails. He assumed right as they all shifted to the side without question. Psyche didn’t seem to be in pain from it either.

Free to do so, Tsugaru held the feathers in place with his elbow and reached down to pull on his loincloth. The clothe gave away easily, coming undone completely to expose his fully erect cock. He hooked the tail feathers against his hips and leaned forward. He planted his hand by Psyche’s face.

“Your body isn’t used to what I’m going to do.” Tsugaru said, “So, please, bare with me, okay?”

Psyche looked over his shoulder. The nervousness was obvious in his pink orbs. “How um…how much will it hurt?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never done it myself.”

Psyche’s brows furrowed.

“I was told it’s a sharp pain, enough to take your breath away. However, it’s instant. So it’ll only hurt for a moment.”

Psyche didn’t answer. He didn’t need to as Tsugaru saw his expression sour with even more worry.

“Hold my hand, Psyche.” Tsugaru turned his hand so he could make a grabbing motion while still leaning his full weight on it. “If it hurts, dig your claws in, so I'll know to give you a moment.”

Psyche looked at him. He then shook his head. “I don't want to hurt you.”

Guilt riddled Tsugaru's chest. The blond leaned down and kissed the back of Psyche's head. “Okay. Hold my hand anyway. At least then, I'll know if you squeeze it.”

Psyche hesitated. He then nodded. He grabbed Tsugaru's hand, intertwining their fingers.

“Psyche,” Tsugaru kissed his head again. “Will you push my penis in?”

Psyche jolted and looked over his shoulder. “EH?!”

“Well, if I'm holding your hand, I can't put it in.” Tsugaru dropped his hips low so his cock rubbed against his entrance. “I only have one hand right now, remember?”

Psyche's face flushed bright red. He stared at Tsugaru with that adorable expression that lit a predatory spark in the blonde's stomach. Tsugaru ignored that, however. He was more focused on Psyche's beautiful face. The Heartstone's brows furrowed in confliction before he closed his eyes tight shut. He buried his face in Tsugaru's haori and reached back behind him.

His clawed hand touched Tsugaru's cock. The blond twitched, his cock jolting. His face became warm.

_**'He's so sexy like this. This angle is...'** _

Psyche pushed down on the cock, aligning it to his entrance. Tsugaru pushed his hips forward. The tip of his cock burrowed in.

“Hm!” Psyche twitched.

“Keep it aligned for me, okay? Until I'm about halfway in.”

“O...Okay...”

Tsugaru pushed forward more. “Does it hurt?”

“N-no...not yet...”

“Okay. If you need to rest, tell me and I'll pause.”

“O-okay.”

Tsugaru pushed and pushed and pushed. The cockhead was completely encased in Psyche's heat. The blond hissed to the sensation. He exhaled in ecstasy. His cock slid further, inch by inch by inch until he was 1/4th of the way in.

“You can move your hand now.” Tsugaru said, “I should be able to stay in now.”

Psyche nodded. He took his hands away, bringing it by his face to grab a handful of the haori.

“Does it hurt?” Tsugaru asked, still pushing.

“No—AGH!”

Psyche jolted, clamping down on Tsugaru's cock and squeezing his hand.

“O-o-ow! Ow! It-it hurts, it hurts!”

“Okay, okay!” Tsugaru leaned down and kissed the back of Psyche's head. “I won't move. I'll wait until you say so.”

Psyche whimpered under the blond, rubbing his face against the haori. “Owie. That really hurt.”

“I'm sorry.” Tsugaru kissed him again. “It won't hurt like that anymore, I assure you.”

Psyche just whimpered.

Tsugaru kissed his shoulder. ' _ **I've officially taken his virginity. And he took mine.'**_

Such a thought left a form of confliction in Tsugaru's chest. He was inexplicably happy. Now, Psyche will never be able to forget Tsugaru, nor would Tsugaru forget him. They were each other's first, after all. They would remember forever. But they shouldn't remember this. This is the last day they'll ever share each others company, let alone this type of skinship. Tsugaru shouldn't be happy to have left a prominent imprint on Psyche's life.

 _ **'No, stop it.'**_ Tsugaru closed his eyes tight shut. **_'Get the brand and go home. That's all Psyche was to you to begin with.'_**

Tsugaru's eyes opened to stare down at Psyche. The little raven was trembling underneath him, squeezing his hand with a vice grip, yet know digging his claws in. The patches of human flesh were coated in sweat. He was breathing hard and every once in a while a whimper escaped his throat.

How could Tsugaru ever stomach the idea of hurting this adorable, lovely Heartstone?

Tsugaru swallowed hard, forcing the confliction and doubt down.

“Is it okay if I move now?” Tsugaru asked.

Psyche looked over his shoulder. His gaze showed his hesitance.

“...Y-yeah...”

Tsugaru smiled softly.

“But go slow—hee!”

Tsugaru pushed his hips forward gradually. “I will. I'll go slow.”

Psyche nodded. Tsugaru swallowed hard as he drew his hips back, then forward. His hips touched Psyche's rump softly. The blond wasted no time in thrusting his hips. Gradually, softly, he pushed in and pulled out.

“Hm!” Psyche moaned with each thrust. “Hah...Uh!”

In and out, in and out, Tsugaru thrust into the raven beneath him. Every thrust made that tender flesh of Psyche's rump jiggle. It was such a tantalizing sight. Tsugaru immediately wanted to go harder. He pursed his bottom lip to keep himself from doing such. Slowly, he had to go slowly. He'd get the brand either or way. There was no reason to be impatient.

“Tsu-Tsuga...”

“Does it hurt still?”

“A-a little. It-it feels...tight inside...”

_**'Yeah, it is. That might be because of the position we're in.'** _

Tsugaru registered that, but at the same time, he couldn't stop thrusting his hips.

_**'It feels really good though.'** _

The blond bent his arm, leaning down to rest on his elbow.

“Can I go faster, Psyche?”

“E-eh? F-faster?”

“Yes. You're body has gotten a bit more used to this, right?”

“I...O-okay...”

Tsugaru smiled. _**'He wants to please me.'**_

The blond kissed the back of Psyche's head.

“I don't deserve you...” Tsugaru muttered.

“Wh-what? What'd you sa—ah!”

Tsugaru thrust his hips forward with more speed and more force. Psyche jolted underneath him. Their skin slapped together. Psyche's grip on the haori tightened.

“Ah! O-ow, Tsuga...ah!”

Psyche pushed himself up so he was sitting on his elbows. Tsugaru could feel himself slipping out because of the movement, so he scooted closer and hugged Psyche's hips with his thighs. He then sat his full weight on his upper thighs so his lower half was pinned to the ground.

“Tsu-Tsuga....ru, nn!”

Tsugaru shooshed him soothingly. He nuzzled his face in the back of Psyche's feathery hair, showering him in kisses.

“It's okay. It's okay, Psyche.”

Psyche squeezed Tsugaru's hand. “It doesn't feel okay...”

Tsugaru could feel guilt making its way up his chest—which in turn, made him very annoyed.

_**'Come on, Psyche, don't make this harder than it has to be.'** _

“Here, sit up.” Tsugaru commanded.

The blond pulled out completely, let go of Psyche's hand, and backed away. The Heartstone looked over his shoulder at him, before doing as suggested. Psyche pushed himself up on his hands and knees. He went to sit down on his rump, however, Tsugaru stopped him by grabbing his hip.

“Stay like this.”

Psyche looked over his shoulder with uncertainty once again. But once again, he also didn't disobey. Tsugaru felt guilt rear its ugly head anew, and just as before, he ignored it. The blond pushed the tail feathers to the side again, hooking them on his hip, and pressed himself against Psyche. With his hand now free, he aligned himself to the Heartstone's entrance. He pushed forward.

“Haaah!” Psyche let out a breathy exhale, bending one arm down to rest on his elbow while the other still grabbed the haori.

Tsugaru exhaled in ecstasy. The Heartstone shuddered as the human buried himself within his body in one thrust.

“Psyche, you feel really good.”

“It...it hurts a little still...”

“I'm sorry. I'll try to make you feel good.”

With that said, Tsugaru reached under the raven and wrapped his fingers around his penis. Psyche jolted to the sensation. The member had gone completely soft. The blond wasted no time stroking it.

“Hm, mm!” Psyche tilted his head down. “Mm!”

Slowly, the member started to rise.

_**'Good, he's responding.'** _

“Mm! Hah! Tsugaru...!”

Tsugaru stroked the member quickly, rubbing and squeezing it as it became firm in his hand. Harder, harder, and harder until it was completely up. He twiddled his fingers around the cockhead, pushing down the foreskin to twiddle under the mushroom tip.

“Ah, hngh!”

Tsugaru could feel Psyche's insides relaxing around his cock. It was still impeccably tight, but the insides became soft.

_**'Should it be okay to move now?'** _

Tsugaru pulled his hips back.

“Nmph! Ingh!”

The blond thrust forward.

“Ah, hah!”

Tsugaru thrust his hips lethargically. At the same time, he stroked Psyche to keep him up and hopefully get him to cum as well.

“Oh, Tsugaru!” Psyche dropped to his elbows, folding his wings back so the feathers wouldn't get wounded. “Tsugaru! Tsugaru!”

“Are you okay?” Tsugaru asked.

“Y-yeah.”

“Does it hurt?”

“It-it still hurts a little...inside, nn! Bu-but it's...bearable...”

“Good.” Tsugaru leaned down, kissing the center of Psyche's shoulder blades. “Good.”

Knowing Psyche was at least a celibacy of okay, Tsugaru thrust his hips faster. Their skin started slapping with the new speed. His hand moved just as fast, jacking the Heartstone with abandon.

“Ah! Hah!”

Psyche arched, his tail feathers shuddering. His hold body began to shake and his grip on haori tightened.

“Tsu-Tsugaru, I'm...I think I'm going to cum...” Psyche moaned, then pressed his mouth to the blue-and-white clothe. “Please, don't stop.”

Tsugaru's entire restraint snapped. He clenched his teeth hard enough to make them ache before he slammed his hips forward with as much strength he could muster.

“AH!” Psyche jolted and clamped down on Tsugaru's cock.

Tsugaru battered Psyche's entrance, thrusting with as much force and as much speed as his body could output. His hand still jerked Psyche off, still pleasured the raven. But now, Tsugaru was driving towards his own orgasm. If he came before Psyche, he'd make sure to get him off after. But right now, he didn't care. He wanted to ravage this adorable raven underneath him. It was a carnal feeling that he wouldn't have liked if he was more calm-headed. But in that moment, it didn't matter. Just the drive towards sweet orgasm mattered.

“Hah! Ah! AH! Tsu-Tsuga—ah, ah, ah!”

Their skin slapped together with repeated intensity. Tsugaru was panting heavily. He tried to focus enough to continue stroking Psyche's member, but his hand was moving far slower than his hips. Psyche moaned with each thrust, arching his back and pressing his chest to the ground.

It felt so good. Tsugaru was heading towards cloud nine trying to reach orgasm. Psyche's body was so tight and so warm. Tsugaru couldn't get enough of this. He thrust, and thrust, and thrust, until finally, he came. He let go of Psyche's cock in favor of grabbing his shoulder. He pulled the Heartstone onto him, at the same time slamming forward as hard has he could. He let out a breathy exhale of ecstasy.

“AH! Hah...” Psyche began shaking under him, borderline vibrating.

Tsugaru hissed as he pulled back and thrust his hips again. He milked himself in the depths of Psyche's body, filling him with a hearty load. Tsugaru had been pent up, after all, since he couldn't masturbate while at the Kurashi house. The blond's vision danced with white euphoria as his mind drifted to heaven.

The two sat like that for a good twenty seconds before Tsugaru finally came down from his high. He panted heavily and slumped back to rest on the balls of his feet.

“You...” Psyche started, “You...came inside...”

“Sorry.” Tsugaru panted.

_**'I had to. I wouldn't get the brand otherwise.'** _

Tsugaru looked down at his own stomach. Above his left hip bone was Psyche's Heartstone brand. Seeing the mark felt very bitter sweet.

_**'I got it. Now, I'm a man. Now, I can get the house from my dad...But, now, that means I can't see Psyche anymore...'** _

Tsugaru's brows furrowed with obvious regret and sorrow. Psyche looked over his shoulder at him. The blond couldn't force a different expression, so he just glanced to the side.

“Tsu-Tsugaru? NN!”

Tsugaru pulled out, his cock having gone half-limp after finishing so it drooped down once it left Psyche's passage. A sizable dollop of semen came out of Psyche's body. It threatened to drip onto the haori, but it didn't. The liquid clung to his skin and drizzled down over his scrotums instead. The blond reached into his bag to grab some tissues. Psyche rolled over on his back to look at Tsugaru properly.

“Tsugaru, what's wrong?” The raven reached out to grab Tsugaru's sleeve.

The blond tugged his arm out of reach. _**'Don't.'**_

“Nothing's wrong.” Tsugaru smiled. “I'm just upset I couldn't make you feel good first.”

_**'Don't look at me with those lovely eyes.'** _

“It felt really good and I feel bad that I hurt you to feel good.”

_**'Don't care about me. It's going to make this so much harder to leave you behind.'** _

“It-it's okay.” Psyche said. “It didn't feel that bad after that sharp spark of pain.”

“Yeah, when I popped your bud?”

“...Yeah. That really hurt. But...but after that, it hurt because nothing had...ever been that deep before, I think.”

“I'm sorry.” A sad smile crossed his face.

_**'You're so kind. You're so perfect.'** _

“It's okay!” Psyche called.

The guilt was evident on his face. “You're too kind.”

Psyche's brows furrowed. “Tsugaru...I—”

“Let me make it up to you.” Tsugaru cut him off.

The blond folded the soiled napkins into a clean one. He tucked his cock back into his fudoshi and went about fixing the loincloth. He then closed his yukata. He scooted closer to Psyche and reached down. He wrapped his fingers around Psyche's cock.

“Hah!” The raven jolted.

Tsugaru began jacking him once again.

“Mm! Mngh!”

Psyche turned his head, closing his eyes. He immediately started panting as he spread his legs wide. With this angle, Tsugaru was able to jack him with better fervor. His hand glided up and down the member with ease.

“Hah, ah! Tsugaru...!”

It didn't take much for Psyche to cum. He had been close before, so it wasn't like Tsugaru had to try very hard.

“Ah, Tsugaru! Your hand is...is really soft...”

“I'm glad.” Tsugaru kissed Psyche's temple. “I'm glad you're feeling good.”

Psyche moaned. He reached soon enough. His whole body jolted. His thighs closed on the blonde's sides. His toes curled, his teeth clenched. Tsugaru put his hand around the tip, cupping his hand to catch all of the raven's semen.

Psyche fell limp. He lied down on the haori, panting heavily and basking in his afterglow. Tsugaru took his hand away and grab more tissues. He cleaned his hand off.

“Th-that was nice.” Psyche said. “I liked it.”

“I'm glad. I'm sorry I hurt you.”

“It's okay.” Psyche rubbed his eyes.

“It's not okay. I didn't want to hurt you.”

“I don't mind too much.” The raven yawned. “...I love you, so it's okay.”

Tsugaru's eyes widened as his chest tightened painfully. Tsugaru's whole mind shut down as despair filled his very being. Hearing such tender words—hearing words he didn't know he wanted to hear—made him so elated, so happy. But at the same time, it made him want to scream in agony.

“...Love?” Tsugaru voiced.

Psyche jolted, his own eyes stretching wide. It was obvious he didn't realize what he said.

“I-I! I...” The Heartstone then smiled softly. “I'm sorry to drop that on you so suddenly. B-but! But you said you liked me before, so I-I'm just telling you the feelings mutual! And since we did this, th-that means you want to be my life-mate, right? I mean, this was really intimate and you put a baby in me, so you have to love me! So, it's okay!”

Tsugaru felt his hands shaking.

“It...I...I didn't...get ahead of myself, did I? I mean, you...I-I know I'm n-not the smartest but I know that if-if you put your special juice inside your partner, you'll get them pregnant. Th-that was what our ilmi—er, doctor told us.”

_**'He was too innocent. He thinks men can get pregnant.'** _

“You said you liked me and we did _that_ together so-so that means you love me, right? You...you want to be my life-mate...”

_**'Psyche, why do you have to make this so hard? I can't be your life-mate! We're not even the same species!'** _

Tsugaru couldn't bare to look at the raven. He closed his eyes tight shut and tilted his head down.

“Tsugaru?”

_**'This has to end. I have to...I have to break his heart. I have to drive him away. I...I...'** _

Tsugaru finally looked up at him. Uncertainty was very obvious on the Heartstone's expression. Uncertainty and a hint a fear.

_**'I'm sorry, Psyche.'** _

“I love you too.” Tsugaru said.

_**'I'm so sorry.'** _

Psyche immediately beamed, his eyes turning misty. The Heartstone pounced forward and hugged Tsugaru close.

“Th-thank you! Thank you!” Psyche called. “I was—I was so scared! I thought, for a moment, nn!”

“It's okay.” Tsugaru hugged him back. “I love you, Psyche.”

“I love you too, Tsugaru!”

* * *

Psyche was fast asleep on Tsugaru's haori. Fatigue hit the raven not long afterwards and he wished to fall alseep for a bit. They cleaned Psyche up and the Heartstone lied down. He asked Tsugaru to cuddle with him, so the blond did, holding him close.

Now that the raven was asleep, and dusk was starting to settle over the horizon, Tsugaru finally let the Heartstone go. He looked down at the raven with a twist in his heart, so painful he wanted to cry. But he wouldn't. He was a man now, so he had to keep his composure, even if no one was there to see it.

Instead, Tsugaru leaned down and kissed the raven's temple.

“Good-bye, Psyche.”

With that, the blond stood, leaving his haori and the Heartstone behind.


	6. Chapter 6

_**'It was five years ago. There's no reason to still be broken-hearted about something from so long ago.'** _

Tsugaru never saw Psyche again. After that, Tsugaru went through his Masculine-Cue ceremony and was officially made a man. Shiki's plan went flawlessly. Tsugaru put his name on the house and his parents took theirs off to avoid paying the rest off themselves and to supposedly avoid eviction. Tsugaru then kicked them out and the council banished them from the village.

There was, of course, drama. Tsushiro tried to fight, both physically and verbally. Tsugaru earned a black eye, but the blond returned the blow by bruising his father's ribs. He wouldn't let Tsushiro bully him any longer. Tsugaru won the fight and out the door they were forced. Tsushiro tried to stalk around the village but that quickly ended when the Watcher threatened to use deadly force if they saw him again. Tsugaru's mother also tried to convince Tsugaru to recant his decision, to be merciful to the parents that gave him life. Tsugaru told her to kick bricks as well. She then attempted to turn the tables, by saying “I never did anything to you!”

In which, Tsugaru responded with: “That's right, you never did anything. You never tried to stop him; never tried to help me; never protected your children.”

She had little to say after that, and thus, she left with her worthless husband. For the last five years, everything had been peaceful. Tsugaru paid off the property with the money he stole from Tsushiro and the three blonds have been living there ever since.

Things had been going good for the family of blonds. However, with the arrival of Hachimenroppi, Tsugaru had had many worries and concerns. He worried about his brother, marrying a stranger he just met—and a monster at that! Having a baby with said monster with the potential that Roppi was an abusive lover.

What's more, he also worried about Psyche.

_**'If it's true that Heartstone's can be impregnated, is it possible I did....'** _

A heart-wrenching form of anxiety started to bubble its way up his chest.

“Delic-nii!” Tsukishima called. “We're back!”

“Welcome back!” Delic leaned out of the living room.

He disappeared back into the room to sit down on the couch, watching the TV.

“Tsukishima,” Tsugaru said, “Hachimen-san and I will put this away. Will you go check on the laundry?”

“U-um...” Tsuki glanced at Roppi.

“I've got this.” The raven said. “Go on.”

Tsuki hesitated, then he nodded. The smallest blond put the groceries down on the table and went off down the engawa.

“Hachimen-san,” Tsugaru glared at the raven.

Roppi looked at him with confusion before glaring back. “Yeah?”

“I understand what you are trying to prove. However, I will not allow my little brother to be 'life-mates' with an abusive individual.”

“Hah?” Roppi cocked a brow in confusion. “I'm not abusive.”

“You admitted to having anger issues. That can easily manifest in abusive behavior.”

“I've not as violent as you think. When I get pissed, I punch trees and the sort. What happened today is a one time thing.”

“So, long as you have something to punch.”

Roppi glowered. “Look, I ain't gonna make excuses. Being born the way I was born and dumped by my baznikoo, I've got a lot of problems.”

“I understand that. You're a victim of circumstances. But I will not let that doom my brother to a life of suffering.”

“Don't be so dramatic.” Roppi growled. “I'm half his size and half his weight.”

“You have sharp claws and can easily pick him up and drop him.”

“You—will you—urgh!” Roppi brought his hands by his head and clenched them as his face soured with obvious irritation. “It's not like I _want_ to stay here!”

“I am not talking about you living him. I am talking about you starting a life with my brother. I care about my Tsukishima's safety more than I do the inbreeding issue between our people and yours.”

“You're willing to damn generations just for your brother?”

“Yes.” Tsugaru didn't hesitate.

Roppi fell silent. For a long time, he didn't say anything.

He then let out a dry chuckle. “I'm envious. Tsukishima is truly loved.”

Tsugaru didn't respond.

“I'll...I can't guarantee anything. The pelmir is uncertain. I...all I can do is try and be better. And well...I want to be better. For Tsukishima.”

Tsugaru stared at him. The raven looked sincere. He sounded sincere. But Tsugaru wasn't sure if he should even take the risk. He didn't know this creature. He knew he broke Psy's legs—although with justification—and he knew he had every reason to be an angry individual. All Tsugaru really knew about this harpy was his violent history. He was deathly afraid that Roppi would turn no different than Tsushiro. Tsukishima deserved better than that. Tsugaru couldn't allow his little brother to get stuck in that kind of relationship.

But a part of Tsugaru yearned to give him a chance. It was a selfish yearning. It stemmed from one simple thing.

_**'If they prove Heartstone's can be impregnated, then maybe I can see Psyche again.'** _

It was a ridiculous idea. After five years, there was little hope that Psyche would even want to see him. After telling himself over and over again to forget about the pink-raven, standing before him was a physical embodiment of a chance. A chance to reunite with his first love.

Tsugaru let out a heavy sigh. “One chance. I'm give you one. There's a woman in this town named Emilia, a foreigner married to the doctor. She is a relatively good therapist.”

“What's that?” Roppi cocked a brow.

“Someone who helps people get over things like anger issues and the sort. I will schedule sessions for you two.”

“...Alright.”

Tsugaru let out another sigh. He turned away to start putting away the groceries. Roppi hesitated before helping.

_**'Is there even a chance that I can see Psyche again? I only had one way to contact him, and after five years, there's no way he would still be showing up. Right?'** _

The blond's brows furrowed.

_**'No, it's ridiculous to hope. There's no way...'** _

His expression softened with complacency. What if there was a chance? What if he continued to go, even though Tsugaru obviously abandoned him? After all, he continued to show for the days that Tsugaru couldn't go to see him thanks to Tsushiro. Was it so far-fetched to hope after five years?

It was a ludicrous thought. A stupid idea.

But not impossible.

Tsugaru clenched his teeth.

“Dammit!” He hissed. Then he raised his voice and called out, “Delic!”

Roppi jolted and looked at him wide-eyed. The pink blond came in with an obvious expression of confusion.

“What?” Delic asked.

“Help Hachimen-san put the groceries away, will you? I am going out for a bit.”

“...Okay. Where you going?”

Tsugaru walked past. “Out.”

Without another word, Tsugaru put his shoes and his blue haori—the new one he had gotten shortly after he 'lost' his other one—on. Karisawa Erika was kind enough to make him a new one of the near exact design.

Out the door he went, to make the few hours trek up the mountain. He remembered the exact path without question. Despite not having traversed it in so long, he knew where to go, what path to take, what area to avoid.

Right as dusk was peaking over the horizon, Tsugaru arrived in a very familiar clearing. One he hadn't seen in years. His heart thudded with hope and fear.

No one was there. The dirt was undisturbed, looking as if no one had been there for a very long time. He felt his hope begin to sink.

Then he glanced to the tree. The very tree Tsugaru had caught Psyche with. Particularly, he looked at the tree knot. He walked over without hesitation and looked inside. Peaking out from under moss and leaves was a piece of parchment. He grabbed it and pulled it out. The parchment was old, without question. Covered in dirt and having holes in it here and there where bugs and rodents had chewed at it. However, it was mostly still intact.

Tsugaru unrolled it, the pencil falling out to the dirt. He didn't care about that. He cared that there were more words on the page. Many more words. Tsugaru began to read.

_'I missed you today.'_

_'I missed you again.'_

_'Is your Diamond friend sick again?'_

_'Is everything okay? It's been a week. I hope you see this today.'_

_'Tsugaru, is there something wrong? It's been two weeks. I hope you're okay. Please see this today.'_

_'Did I do something wrong? It's been a month. Please come back.'_

_'Tsugaru, I'm really scared. ~~There was so much blood. Everyone is asking when I lost my Minlir. I don't know what to tell them. I don't know what to do.~~ '_

_**'Wait,'**_ Tsugaru thought. **_'Does that say blood?'_**

_'Did I do something wrong? Why won't you come back? Please come see me! We need to talk! It's urgent!'_

_'I'm coming to the town today.'_

_'I saw you yesterday. You looked very happy talking with your friends. Was it impossible for us? Was it something I did? ~~Am I just not good enough?~~ '_

Tsugaru's heart began to twist with a profound guilt.

_'Tsugaru, I really want to talk to you. I'm scared to come to the human settlement but I really need to talk to you. Everyone says you used me. That you just raped me and tossed me out. I tried to tell them it wasn't like that, but they don't believe me. Something about trauma refusing to let me accept I was raped. Please, help me prove them wrong. Please, come back to me.'_

_'It's been seven months._ ~~_Our baby's going to be born soo_ ~~ _'_

Tsugaru's heart wrenched. “Baby...”

_**'So, he was...I did...'** _

_'I won't be able to visit for a while. Winter's coming and we have to prepare for our hibernation. I need to conserve my strength ~~for the baby.~~ '_

_'It's spring again. You didn't leave any note, so I guess you didn't come again. I won't be able to visit very often. I'm very busy back home. I'll still come to see if you wrote back. ~~Please right back. Please please please.~~ '_

_'Have you been okay? Are you sleeping alright? I haven't been getting much sleep. ~~It would be great if you were here to help me.~~ '_

_'My clan says I should stop coming here. They say I'm a desperate child for hoping to see you again. ~~They say that is what I get for trusting a human. They've never liked me. They've always called me stupid and naive.~~ I miss talking with you. You made everything so much better. I wish you were here right now. ~~I want a hug.~~ '_

_' ~~I'm so lonely.~~ I miss you.'_

His hands started to shake as his teeth clenched.

_'I talked to someone who has never talked to me before. His name is Roppi-chan. He usually doesn't talk to anyone but Rubi. But he came to talk to me today. ~~He said I wasn't eating enough.~~ He just wanted to check on me today. He looks scary but he's actually really nice. He says I should forget about you ~~since you obviously forgot about me.~~ '_

_'It's going to be winter again soon. I'm sorry I haven't been coming by often enough. I'll be going back to hibernation soon. Hopefully you'll see this over winter. ~~Please see this.~~ '_

_' ~~Am I desperate? Am I childish? I thought you loved me! You said you loved me! You took my Minlir and made me carry your baby! Why would you leave me like this? What did I do to you? I did nothing but love you! So why?! Why Tsugaru?! I hate you!~~ '_

_' ~~I didn't mean it. I'm sorry.~~ I ~~just~~ miss you.'_

_'I still have your haori. Are you ever going to come back for it?'_

_**'He came back here so much. He was waiting for me for so long...'** _

Tsugaru's eyes fell on the last note on the page.

_'Hello, Tsugaru. By now I know you're never going to see this and I'm just writing for the sake of getting my thoughts out on paper. It's been three years since I last saw you. I wanted to wait for you, but after so long, I know it's fruitless. I don’t know what I did wrong to make you abandon me. Whatever it was, I'm truly very sorry. I'm leaving the mountains today. I can't stand my clan anymore. They're always looking down on me. The only one who is nice to me is someone who is also looked down upon. Roppi can deal with it because he is strong. But I have nothing. And I know from the way the clan treats Roppi that ~~our~~ my baby will be treated just as badly. I have to think about what’s best for ~~our~~ my child. I’ve left the mountain range to join another clan of Coravak’s. I heard there's one to the East, by the coast. _

_I still love you. I will probably always love you. I’m sorry I wronged you._

_Psyche'_

Tsugaru fell to his knees, grabbing the paper so hard it crumbled in his hands.

“What have I done?”

Tears flowed freely from his eyes, dripping onto the dirt to kick up dust.

“I'm two years too late. I...”

_**'I can't even ask Hachimen-san to help me. Psyche's gone!'** _

The blond clenched his teeth hard enough to hurt them before burying his face in his hands.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Psyche!”


	7. Epilogue

Psyche huffed harshly as he ran through the trees. His dug his claws in deep to try and propel himself faster. One arm clutched a bundle in a blue haori to his chest while the other swung with his momentum. Every movement from his arm made the injury on it spasm with pain. He was missing a decent chunk of his feathers on his second wing junction, right under his hand, and was bleeding profusely from where a knife had cut him deep. He couldn't fly like this. All the downed harpy could do was run.

Psyche had left the mountain range he had been born to. His clan, his love; he left it all behind a month ago. He hadn't made it to the coast yet. As far as he knew, he wasn't even close. But now, there was no way he could get there. Not with this injury to his arm. Not with these hunters chasing him.

He could heard the stomping feet of the people pursuing him close behind. He had gained some distance on them, but not enough to get away. Not with this bundle in his hands. He had to do something.

Psyche flapped his injured wing, which got his off the ground just enough to jump on a low-hanging tree branch. He pushed off the branch and jumped behind a thorn bush to his right. Hopefully, the blood trail would lead his assailants straight ahead away from them.

He sat low to the ground, hugging his haori to his chest. He waited. He heard the assailants push through the bushes. He held his breath. They went straight as he had hoped. The hunters footsteps receded to the distance.

Psyche let out the breath he was holding. He then leaned down and kissed the bundle in his arms. He maneuvered the thorn bush just enough to make a gap under the bramble. He pushed the bright blue cloth under the bush and pulled the thorns back down.

_**'I'll be back for you. I promise.'** _

With that decided, Psyche stood and began running once again.

Not even a heartbeat later, three long, silver wire-line blades came out of the thorn bush. Two punctured each shoulder and one ran him through the center of his torso, just missing his spine. His pink eyes stretched wide.

The blades pulled back, allowing Psyche to fall to the dirt. The pain was too intense for him to scream. He could barely even breath as he gasped for air. Blood strained his white jump, his feathers, his very flesh. The crimson liquid poured out of his mouth as he coughed. He groaned, tears of pain and fear streaking his cheeks.

“Kasane-chan, I told you not to hit his vitals!” A man yelled.

From around the bush came a middle-aged man, huffing hard. Next to him was a young woman with brown hair and a red bow on her head. She had a blank expression and seemed unfazed by the rigorous run through the woods.

Psyche pushed himself up just enough to roll himself on his side. He held the wound in his midrift, trying to stop the bleeding the only way he knew how.

_**'Apply pressure. Have to keep pressure on it.'** _

“Dammit.” The man said. “He'll bleed out in minutes.”

Psyche's heart clenched with fear.

_**'No, I can't! Not yet! I...'** _

“P-please...” Psyche said through heavy gasped. “D-do-don't...”

“It's already done.” The man said, reaching for a holster on his hip. “There's no saving you.”

_**'No. No! I can't! I can't die here! My baby! What'll happen to my baby?!'** _

The man pulled out a tanegashima pistol.

_**'I shouldn't have left the mountain range! I should have stayed with my clan! I should have...!'** _

The man pulled the hammer back. He held the gun by his shoulder, pointed it to the sky, as he walked over. Psyche's heart beat in his chest like a drum. Tears freely fell from his eyes as he stared death in the face. He rolled over on his back and began pushing himself back, holding his wound with one hand.

_**'I don't know what to do! What am I supposed to do? I can't just sit here and let him—'** _

An infant's wale tore across the forest. Both Psyche's and the old man's eyes widened.

_**'No, why are you crying now?!'** _

The man looked over his shoulder at the sound.

“A baby?”

In that moment, parental instinct kicked in. Hatred and adrenaline began to pump its way through Psyche's system. If he was going to die either or way, then he might as well die protecting his child. He might as well try and take this bastard with him!

Psyche forced himself to his feet and charged. The man quickly faced front, only to have five claws rake across his chest. The man dogged back. Out of pure reflex, the man brought the gun forward, pointed it at Psyche, and pulled the trigger. There was a loud bang that tore through the clearing. A small hole appeared in Psyche's jumpsuit, right over his heart, before it began to seep with new blood.

Psyche's eyes stretched wide, the pain he felt too intense for his mind to process. He stumbled back before losing all strength in his legs. The pink-and-white Heartstone, now stained with deep crimson blood, fell to the ground. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. His baby's cries began to fade away. His body went cold. All he could do was stare up at the sky.

_**'No, they'll kill my baby too. They're going to—'** _

His eyes stretched wide as an image passed over his eyes. An image of a person. Seventeen years of age, blond hair, blue eyes, and a bright blue haori. The blond smiled down at him lovingly. Psyche's expression softened at the sight.

_**'Tsugaru...'** _

The image provided comfort. Even if it was nothing more than his imagination, seeing the love of his life calmed him. For that moment before his world faded away, Psyche finally felt peace.

The light left the raven's eyes as his head went limp, turning to the side.

The old man held his chest. Luckily, he had dodged back just in time so the cuts weren't fatally deep. He'd live, however, he would definitely have a scar. He glared down at the Heartstone, a small grudge beginning to form.

That anger soon faded as the baby's cries drew his attention. He looked over his shoulder, seeing something white peeking through the bramble bush he and his companion had just walked around. He holstered his gun and walked over. He knelt down. Gingerly, he pushed the thorns back until he could see what was under. A blue-and-white bundle sat under the bush, flailing, waling, and crying.

The old man pulled the bundle out from under the thorns. He found an opening on the top and tugged on it as gently as he could. The cloth unwrapped to reveal a baby Heartstone. The baby's head was a bundle of black and tinted downy feathers. It's little hands came up to show its arms were covered in the same softy downy. This child could be no older than two-years-old—two young to walk, let alone fly, but old enough to no longer need milk (if Heartstone's even needed milk).

The baby cried and screamed, it's little arms flailing with its fear.

“Kasane-chan, hand me something to wrap my chest.”

The woman obeyed. She reached into a bag and pulled out a shall. It would have to do for now. The man took and and wrapped it around his neck. He didn't want to get more blood on the haori. After all, it was a pretty design and it was all that was left of this little monster's family.

Once situated, he picked the crying baby up. He shooshed the baby, cooing at it and bouncing it gently. The baby cried, then whimpered, then let out a whine as it rubbed it's eyes.

“That's right. It's alright. I know that loud bang must have been scary.”

The man stood.

“Kasane-chan,” the old man looked at the girl. “Take the undamaged wing, tail feathers, and the feet. They'll still sell for a hefty price.”

The woman bowed. “Yes, Yodojiri-san.”

As 'Kasane' set to work doing as she was told, 'Yodojiri' faced front and began walking out of the clearing.

“Oh, you're such a tiny little thing. If I tried to sell you off now, you'll likely be used as food for a bigger monster. So, I'll have to raise you up a bit. How's that sound.”

Yodojiri pulled on the haori to unwrap it more. He exposed the baby's lower half.

“Ah, you're a boy, huh? You would sell more if you were a girl. Although if you end up looking anything like your father there, I'm sure you'll still be beautiful.”

The old man wrapped the baby back up to keep him warm. He then put his finger out for the infant to grab. It did as expected, it's little talons digging in but not puncturing the flesh.

“I have another baby monster back home. His name's Shizuo. I'm sure you'll be able to keep each other good company. What do you think of that?”

“Abaa...”

“Yeah, I think that's a good idea too.” The man smiled. “Hm, I'm going to have to give you a name, huh? I'm actually really good with these kinds of things, so don't you worry any.”

“Yodojri-san.” Kasane beckoned.

The old man looked over his shoulder. The woman had a bag over her shoulder, blood seeping from inside of it and dripping onto the ground by her shoes. Slung over her other shoulder was the black-pink-and-white Heartstone wing. A steady stream of blood was drizzling onto the dirty behind her, getting over the hem of her yellow yukata and onto her white tabi's.

“It is done.” She said.

He smiled in satisfaction. “Good, let's go home.”

She nodded without a word. The two began walking.

“I'll think about a name for you properly while I get stitched up.” Yodojiri said to the baby. “But for now, I'll call you Isaiah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done!  
> Alright, fuck. This took longer than it should have. The reason for that is because I wanted to write Heartstone--but not this one. I've been working on the Shizu/Iza one, which won't be posted until the next Heartstone story is done. Bitch. I'm trying to post these in chronological order, that's why. Technically, I could post the Shizu/Iza now, but there's a huge time skip that leads to the final part of this story, so I don't think I should. :/ Damn my need for organization.
> 
> As for this story, I'm sorry if this tone feels very rushed. I was originally going to write it as a one-shot, like I did with Delic/Hibi's story. Where it was present/past/present. However, if I had done it like that, I couldn't use breaks in the scene. Halfway through, I decided to make it a chapter story, so I had to go back and fix the pacing. Hopefully, I did that right. If the tone's off, that's why. Sorry, sorry!  
> I'm sorry for the bad ending. But if I was going to add Iza/Shizu to this story, it had to happen.  
> Lots of apologies! Apologies for everyone!  
> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to comment, kudos, all that shit and hopefully, I'll see you in the next one.  
> KCK


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